During the event, all those interested will learn about the different paths that exist to lend a hand to the Venezuelan human rights movement. | Courtesy
Enlaza Venezuela arrives on October 2nd to the Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá
This will be an event that will show attendees the different paths that exist to support organizations that continue to work to transform the situation in Venezuela.
Por: Dejusticia | October 1, 2019
“Solidarity and Collaboration” were the words that motivated the production of Enlaza Venezuela. This is an initiative led by Dejusticia, in which for six months we designed a program that seeks to generate collaborative links between Venezuelan organizations and cooperation agencies, foundations, businesses, universities and other agents of change interested in supporting their proposals to make them a reality.
In July 2019, Enlaza Venezuela opened a call for civil society organizations from that country to present a social transformation project that they would like to strengthen and promote with the help of different types of collaborators. After reviewing the more than 60 applications received, a committee made up of Athena – Lab for Social Change, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), San Francisco Social Creativity Agency and the Center for the Study of Law, Justice, and Society (Dejusticia), chose 15 organizations to be a part of this program.
After being selected, the organizations participated in a mentoring process led by Innpactia and Dejusticia, focused on strengthening their proposals and technical capacities.
The October 2 event represents the continuation of the program, as it will be an opportunity for other people, institutions, foundations, universities and the media to approach the winning initiatives, find out how they could support them and learn how the human rights movement in Venezuela is still standing and continues to work, despite the difficult political and economic situation in their country.
During the event, all those interested will learn about the different paths that exist to lend a hand to the Venezuelan human rights movement. Here it will be fundamental to understand that collaboration can take place in different scales: a few hours of work, advice on shared topics, a list of contacts, a donation, or even through lending visibility to these initiatives.
This exchange will take place at the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá this Wednesday, October 2nd, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. We will launch the event with an interactive photo exhibit that will lead attendees through the stories of organizations working for different and valuable social causes in their country. This will give lead to a session that will include talks on collaboration, art exhibits, and the possibility of meeting and interacting personally with activists, journalists and members of the 15 organizations that were selected by Enlaza.
During the week of the event, the selected organizations will have the opportunity to sit down with possible collaborators with whom they will share the evolution of their projects.
The October 2nd evening event will conclude with a conversation between Daniel Samper and Reymar Perdomo, who will tell us about the impact of #UnChallegePorVenezuela and how spontaneous collaborative initiatives can transform realities.
Enlaza Venezuela will not be a common event, it will be a platform that will illustrate the different ways that exist to help and support those who continue to work to transform Venezuela’s current situation.
Can we count on you?
If you are interested in joining us, please register at the following link. We have limited spots available.
Selected Organizations
Name: Labo Ciudadano
City: Caracas
They promote non-violent resistance and human rights through campaigns, social protests, communication pieces and pedagogical devices that use simple and direct language. Labo Ciudadano seeks to strengthen the capacity of citizens to mobilize and organize themselves autonomously.
Name: Acción Ciudadana contra el Sida (ACCSI) and Caleidoscopio Humano
City: Caracas
ACCSI develops strategies for the protection and defense of the rights of people with HIV/AIDS, while Caleidoscopio Humano is a solidarity initiative to make the abuses and violations of human rights of vulnerable populations visible, sensitizing, educating, and providing primary care. The alliance between these two organizations would be interested in researching and bringing to light what is happening to transgender victims of human trafficking in border areas.
Name: La Vida de Nos
City: Ciudad Bolívar, Bolívar
Through narrative journalism, they document and reveal the realities of those who have suffered human rights violations in Venezuela with the aim of creating a space for recognition among citizens and thus generating social impact. La Vida de Nos would like to strengthen its operations as a media outlet through a membership process that would make it sustainable.
Name: Asociación de Mujeres por el Bienestar y Asistencia Recíproca – AMBAR
City: Caracas
They work on the development of short-term job skills for women, girls, and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation with the aim of facilitating their return to their homes and to the formal education system. AMBAR would like to carry out a communications campaign in Venezuela to prevent human trafficking.
Name: Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Los Andes (Human Rights Observatory of the University of the Andes)
City: Mérida, Mérida
They document human rights violations in the Venezuelan Andean region and provide free legal representation to victims of these events. They carry out workshops, courses, and other training programs related to the subject. The Observatory seeks to expand its coverage and bring its “Madiba” diploma in Human Rights to journalists, justice system officials, students, activists, and community leaders from more regions in the state of Mérida.
Name: Mulier
City: Maracaibo, Zulia
They focus on educating and informing the public about gender equality and the guarantee of women’s rights by giving visibility to the realities that girls, adolescents and women in Venezuela live through. Mulier would like to promote regional meetings and a mapping of organizations that would contribute to consolidating a feminist support network.
Name: Asociación Civil Circuito Gran Cine
City: Caracas
This organization produces, projects, and distributes audiovisual content on topics related to human rights, but also leads audiovisual workshops for adolescents and youth in Caracas to promote the use of documentaries as a channel for promoting rights and denouncing violations. Asociación Civil Circuito Gran Cine would like to take these workshops to more places in the country and consolidate a network of audiovisual producers.
Name: Asociación Civil Más Ciudadanos
City: Maiquetía, Vargas
They carry out leadership training programs for young people from private and public schools and help them in the construction of their life projects for when they finish school. With their Politeia project they seek to promote the formation of emerging activists, helping them to plan and execute social projects that impact their environment.
Name: Prepara Familia
City: Caracas
They focus on the accompaniment, assistance, and human rights defense of children and adolescents who are hospitalized and have chronic pathologies, as well as on the care of the mothers and women who accompany them in medical centers. Prepara Familia wants to promote a program through which a group of volunteerswould be trained to relieve the accompanying mothers and to provide physical and mental health assistance to these caregivers.
Name: El Bus TV
City: Caracas
Considering the crisis that the media in Venezuela faces, El Bus TV promotes access to information through the transmission of live news broadcasted on buses in Caracas. In two years, they have reached more than 100,000 people who have little or no access to independent media or the internet. El Bus TV would like to expand its coverage to reach more corners of Venezuela, but also dreams of bringing its content onto a web platform that can be updated daily.
Name: Comisión para los Derechos Humanos del Estado Zulia (Codhez)
City: Maracaibo, Zulia
They document, promote, and defend human rights in the state of Zulia, and they litigate on behalf of victims of torture, extrajudicial executions, violations of the right to health, and arbitrary detentions, among others. Codhez seeks to strengthen the work of the Human Rights Network of the State of Zulia (Redhez).
Name: Free Convict
City: Caracas
They promote music as an instrument for the social reintegration of persons who have been deprived of their liberty. Through workshops, concerts, and training programs, they work with young people who were detained in the former prison of La Carolina, in Río Guaire, exploring their potential as agents of change. Free Convict is interested in finding allies who would support the incorporation of psychologists and lawyers into their programs, as well as building a sustainability plan for the organization.
Name: Escuela de Ciudadanos
City: Caracas
They defend the right to freedom of expression through the training of citizens and activists. They coordinate a network of correspondents who produce 24-hour news content through 78 programs. With their project Radiocomunidad.com they intend to strengthen this informative platform through the acquisition of better technical equipment and the strengthening of the correspondent’s network.
Name: Proyecto Mujeres
City: Maracaibo, Zulia
Through talks, reading clubs, and artistic and mural displays, they promote sexual and reproductive rights, women’s empowerment, menstrual hygiene, and the prevention of gender-based violence from a feminist and cross-cutting human rights perspective. With their Visible Girls project, they want to bring at least 400 menstrual kits to schools and encourage conversations about menstruation in order to demystify it.
Name: ACOANA – Asociación Venezolana para la Conservación de Áreas Naturales
City: Caracas
We work with indigenous peoples in remote geographic areas on issues of biodiversity conservation and territory. Likewise, on art, health, and human rights as fundamental pillars of sustainable development.
Agenda
Wednesday, October 2nd
The Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá
Calle 24 #6-00
• 5:00 PM – Opening of the “The faces of resilience “photo exhibit.
• 5:30 PM – Welcome to Enlaza Venezuela – Vivian Newman of Dejusticia
• 6:00 PM – Creative Resistance in a Non-Democratic Context – “How to Turn Venezuela’s Political Situation into an Opportunity to Rethink Activism” by Rafael Uzcátegui of Provea.
• 6:30 PM – Musical Intermission
• 7:00 PM – The Need and Opportunity for Scaling Collaboration: Challenges and Lessons. Guayana Paéz of Athena Lab for Social Change
• 7:30 PM – Intermission – Dance presentation
• 8:00 PM – ‘Under what conditions do social organizations work in Venezuela? Radiography of the resistance and its needs” by Nelson Freitez.
• 8:30 PM – Intermission – Music presentation
• 9:00 PM – #UnChallengeporVenezuela: An example of collaboration by Daniel Samper and Reymar Perdomo.
*Throughout the evening, activities will take place that will allow you to connect with people like you who are working to defend human rights in Venezuela.
Press contact
Angélica Cuevas
Communications Team – Dejusticia