AP: Venezuela’s president urges all women to have 6 children
“President Nicolás Maduro wants Venezuelan women to have many children as a way to boost the country, which has seen millions of people flee in recent years to escape its economic crisis. Maduro made the exhortation during a televised event Tuesday evening for a government program promoting various birth methods…” (Rueda, 3/4).

The Guardian: Venezuela’s president urges women to have six children each ‘for good of the country’
“…The comment sparked outrage in the country where a deepening economic crisis is felt across society. Venezuela’s central bank said inflation reached nearly 10,000% last year, while shortages from basic foodstuffs to medical supplies are widespread. Child malnutrition is estimated at 13%, according to UNICEF. Venezuela’s government has not published infant mortality figures since 2017, when a health ministry bulletin revealed that 11,466 children had died the previous year — a 30% jump in infant mortality…” (Daniels, 3/4).

New Humanitarian: Q&A: Venezuela’s growing aid needs and continuing political restrictions
“In February 2019, a tense standoff over U.S. humanitarian aid for Venezuelans led to accusations of a foreign invasion and rival pop concerts at opposite ends of the bridge connecting Venezuela to the Colombian border town of Cúcuta. A year on, much has changed, but not the politicization of aid within Venezuela. According to Miguel Pizarro, who acts as the U.N. representative and as an intermediary with international organizations for the opposition ‘government’ of Juan Guaidó, politics is even depriving people of basic services…” (Dupraz-Dobias, 3/4).