Washington Post: Venezuela’s hunger crisis is for real
Francisco Toro, executive editor of the Caracas Chronicles

“…More and more, … households [in Venezuela are] pursuing the kind of emergency adaptation strategies usually associated with famines in war-torn countries. Sixty-three percent report turning to ‘unusual foods,’ 70 percent report that they’ve stopped consuming types of food they consider important, and 85 percent of families in at-risk areas report they are eating less. … Overall, 34 percent of families are now resorting to at least one emergency coping strategy — a sign of acute food insecurity … Venezuela needs serious and sustained humanitarian aid to stem the current deaths and prevent an entire generation of children from being stunted. But a government that consistently refuses to acknowledge this reality has stubbornly resisted declaring a humanitarian emergency and accepting the aid much of the world — including the United States — is offering. As the rainy season approaches, and with it a seasonal upsurge in infectious diseases, [Susana Raffalli, humanitarian specialist in food emergencies for Caritas Venezuela,] is especially concerned: Malnourished children often struggle to fight off infections that better-fed children can breeze through…” (6/1).