Protests have been raging throughout Venezuela as its citizens continue to suffer due to inflation, shortages of essential and basic products including food and medicine, and a crackdown on human rights--all of which they believe to be the result of a corrupt, tyrannical government. Several demonstrations have become violent reporting in the deaths of at least 46 people and leaving many others injured.

Because Venezuela has the most oil reserves of any nation, it is only natural that their economy relies heavily on the exporting of oil. When oil prices were high, as they were a couple of years ago, Venezuela’s economy was booming. At that time, there was a great deal of government spending, however, it was believed that a separate fund was being put aside in case the price of oil was to go down. However, now that that time has passed and oil prices have reduced, the people of Venezuela are looking for this money and finding that it is not there, leading to allegations of the government has stolen the money and put it in offshore accounts since, after all, it's the government who runs the economy. This political corruption has led to shortages of food and medicine because the country can no longer pay for such imports, and prices of products on the shelves have skyrocketed.

The citizens of Venezuela have taken to the streets to demand a change be made. They are demanding foreign aid, that President Nicolas Maduro steps down, those new elections are held, that the nearly 1,000 imprisoned protestors be set free, and autonomy for the opposition-led legislature. Many of these protests have resulted in violence, with protesters setting off petrol bombs and setting fire to the streets, while security forces placed by Maduro are firing rubber bullets and using tear gas to stop marches. The President himself has claimed that those demanding a change from the current regime are trying to carry out a coup against the government, and he has been posting videos of himself riding through the streets where protests are not taking place to try and claim some sort of peace.

However, the truth is the citizens of Venezuela are dying because they are being given low salaries combined with this inflation, and they are unable to pay for imports of food, medicine, and other essentials. In addition, there is a scarcity of medical care, and their demands for help and change are currently not being met despite their protests, which unfortunately have resulted in deaths. The citizens of Venezuela do not want more deaths; they want a non-corrupt government that is going to fix their broken economy and protects the lives and interests of its citizens.

You can help by donating to Venezuela’s NGO’s that are doing what they can to provide food, shelter, and medical care to the Venezuelan people.