My life in Venezuela — Assembly

16-year-old student Katty Reyes shares the reality of the crisis in Venezuela.

Mamporal, my hometown in Venezuela, was beautiful before the economic crisis. The plumbing, the water, the light — everything worked and there were no problems. There wasn’t the economic uncertainty that there is now. The streets were clean and you could go out at any time.

But the town is not like it was before. Since the 2013 presidential election, Venezuela has experienced a drastic economic collapse. The country has been in a state of hyperinflation for 45 months, and eight out of 10 Venezuelans reported eating less due to not having enough food at home or due to scarcity. Now Mamporal is no longer the way it used to be, so we stay in our houses and the activities stopped. The economic situation is going from bad to worse. Things are super expensive, we cannot find the things we need and there are problems with drinking water, electricity, internet and more. I also come from a very large family, so it is difficult for us to feed ourselves because we cannot find food or medicine because it is very expensive. And, of course, all of that affects my studies. Things are not easy — but I have faith that they will change one day.

I recently had the opportunity to share my story and what is happening in Venezuela through a photo essay for Malala Fund in collaboration with Studio 1854 and British Journal of Photography. For a week, I accompanied Silvana Trevale — a Venezuelan photographer — and her family in Paparo, a city in Miranda State, and then in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. During my travels we walked through many places I’d never visited before, and I fell in love with many of the sites. At first I felt a little nervous, but then answering all of these questions about Venezuela became like an outlet for me, and now I love Silvana more than a sister. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story through these photos and talk about my difficulties in completing my education. I hope that through these photos, you come to know the truth of the situation and that this is a story that is not only mine but also belongs to many Venezuelans — especially young people.

“The economic situation is going from bad to worse. Things are super expensive, we cannot find the things we need and there are problems with drinking water, electricity, internet and more.”

— Katty Reyes

Although things are difficult for me and my family much of the time, it doesn't stop me from moving forward, achieving my goal of finding a career that I like and helping my family be well. I am so happy to be able to share with you the issues that affect my studies and help build a better future for me, my family and the youth across Venezuela.

Power outages

Power lines in Venezuela. (Courtesy of Silvana Trevale)

Right now in Venezuela, there are times when the power goes out almost all day. This happens because the country's electrical system has not been maintained for years, and it has been failing for a long time. Money has not been invested for it to function and provide reliable electricity throughout the country. It also rains a lot, and when it rains they turn off the power because the trees often fall due to strong thunder and lightning. When this happens, we spend up to two days without electricity until the poles are repaired.

When the power goes out, the internet goes out, and that affects us because you cannot buy anything in the markets, nor can you do school activities. We can only use the books, but unfortunately there are not enough books in schools and they do not have enough information, which prevents me from meeting my goal of graduating from school. I’d like to maybe study tourism or nutrition, but all that is complicated by the situation in my country.

For Venezuelans, it is necessary to support each other because things are not easy here in our country. I have only three friends and the three of us support each other in everything. For example if one of us does not have a notebook or pencil and the other does, we would give it to them. Since our school books often do not have the information we need to complete our homework, we have to go to an internet cafe where they charge us by the hour to use their computers and printers. But we can't go there all the time anymore because it costs too much money.

This difficult situation has shown us Venezuelans the things that matter most. I am now even more determined to become independent because my house is no longer fit to live in. I want to work hard and graduate so I can help my family, especially because my dad is older. Even though I am going through these bad times, I am grateful because thanks to my parents I have the support to deal with life’s difficulties, but pa’lante (forward).

Lack of school resources

“I feel very bad when I see this lack of resources in my school. There are times when it makes me not want to attend my classes because I feel uncomfortable,” Katty shares. (Courtesy of Silvana Trevale)

Regarding my school, it is difficult for us because like I said, we do not have access to enough academic resources and the internet, which hinders my school performance. Right now school is online due to the pandemic, but this year it will supposedly be on a rotating schedule: one week online, one week not. I have learned less this year because of course it is not like a normal class — there are not enough activities for us to learn, and you have less chances to say aloud what you think or ask your teacher a question. I feel very bad when I see this lack of resources in my school. There are times when it makes me not want to attend my classes because I feel uncomfortable.

In addition, it is difficult for my family to acquire school supplies such as notebooks, pencils, markers, crayons, erasers, pencil sharpeners, rulers and finally the computer. These things are very expensive, and salaries here are not enough. It makes it so that if you buy one thing, you can’t buy another. So I don't bother my parents because I know they can't buy me materials. At one point I had a computer but I was unfortunate in that it was stolen a week after I received it due to the insecurity of the country. I was in the second grade when that happened.

Gas shortages

“The gas situation is really very serious because sometimes we go two or three months without gas and we have to cook with firewood,” explains Katty. (Courtesy of Silvana Trevale)

The gas situation is really very serious because sometimes we go two or three months without gas and we have to cook with firewood. When the gas comes, we have to use it very sparingly. When we finish cooking we close the bottle quickly, and when we make things that take longer to cook, for example beans or soup, we do it on firewood. On the one hand firewood is good because — apart from the fact that it cooks quickly — the food is rich, and some people are already used to that. But cooking on firewood takes a lot of time because I have to help my mother, and so I try to do the task quickly so I can study.

Dirty water

Katty with a flower in her hair. (Courtesy of Silvana Trevale)

The pipes in Venezuela have to be fixed and changed since they are very old and the state has not maintained them. For this reason, the water is dirty because they do not treat it. There are parts of Venezuela that go up to a month without water. Since water is necessary for the body, there are times when we have to go to the spring or elsewhere far from home to find drinking water. It is also complicated because the spring is no longer fit to drink from, but before that there were queues of people so long that you had to go around 5 a.m. if you wanted to leave early. Schools in Venezuela do not have drinking water either, and there are times when there is no water in the bathrooms. Right now the only way to get water is to buy it.

Not enough food

A flowering tree in Venezuela. (Courtesy of Silvana Trevale)

It is very difficult for my family to be able to buy enough food for us since salaries are not enough and there is no work in the country. There are eight of us in my immediate family, but in reality we are 11 siblings; the six oldest of us grew up with my grandmother who lives in Maracaibo, Zulia state, and the other five of us grew up here in Mamporal.

We get a bag of food from the state every two months. Mainly 11 food products come: two packages of rice, four packages of flour, a package of beans, a package of sugar, a can of sardines and two packages of pasta. Sometimes 250 grams of milk comes in too, but it's not all the time. All that food lasts us two months. In reality, what they give us is not enough for a human being to eat. They only bring dry products and nothing salty or fresh, and they bring products in a very irregular way. In the months when the bag does not arrive, we have to buy food with the money we have. My father receives his pension and his retirement — although it is not enough to provide for a person’s needs — and my older brother works in the houses of the town cleaning yards.

My hopes for the future

“I believe that the Venezuela of before will return and an even better one at that because we will be a more knowledgeable people,” says Katty. (Courtesy of Silvana Trevale)

Despite the fact that the situation in Venezuela is like this, I keep my goals in mind and keep working to fulfill my dreams and help my family move forward. It will not be easy, but we must move forward so that the country can improve. Because we Venezuelans are really tired, and we need this country to emerge one day. Despite what we are experiencing, we hope that everything will be better someday. We Venezuelans have already learned to value more and to have more gratitude for the things we do have, and I believe that the Venezuela of before will return and an even better one at that because we will be a more knowledgeable people. Until then, it is important to share my story with everyone so that you can take into account our reality in Venezuela, and so that you appreciate the things that you have.

Katty Reyes

(she/her) is a 16-year-old high school student living in Mamporal in Miranda State, Venezuela. She dreams of one day joining the medical field — maybe as a nutritionist or a nurse — and helping her family move forward and be well.