BEAR HUGS FOR VENEZUELA PILOT PROJECT

COMPLETION REPORT

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1- Project Summary
Title
Brief Project Description
Country
Site/location
Donor Organization 1
Number of Beneficiaries
Number of Meals Distributed
Number of Meals Confiscated
Donor Organization 2
Distributed Supplements
Duration
Coordinating Organizations
Implementing Organization
Beneficiary Organization 1
Beneficiary Organization 2
Beneficiary Organization 3
Beneficiary Organization 4
Budget
Bear Hugs for Venezuela Pilot Project
The project aims to contribute to the emergency relief
efforts to help alleviate the profound humanitarian crisis in
Venezuela by distributing needed pediatric supplements
and dehydrated rice-soy enriched meals, and Bear Hugs
care packages for children.
Venezuela
Caracas, Distrito Capital & Baruta, Estado Miranda
Rise Against Hunger (132 boxes of RAH meals)
Contact: Silvia Roskot
751 children, staff & volunteers
126 RAH boxes (36 bags, and each bag contains 6
servings each/ each box contains 216 RAH meals for a total
of approximately 27,216 meals)
6 RAH boxes confiscated by security agents (36 bags, and
each bag contains 6 servings each/ each box contains 216
RAH meals for a total of approximately 1,296 meals)
Bear Hugs for Venezuela
Rotary e-Club of Houston District 5890
120 Bear Hugs Care Packages
192 Bottles of pediatric acetaminophen
192 Bottles of pediatric Pedialyte
40 Buckets of pediatric probiotics
6 months (March – September 2018)
Rotary e-Club of Houston International Committee
& Bear Hugs for Venezuela
Contact 1: Cristal Montañéz Baylor
Contact 2: Isis Mejías
Contact 3: Cindy Catoni
Rotary Caracas
Contact: Jorge Sleiman, President
Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer
Contact 1: Pilar Rodriguez, Executive Director
Contact 2: Carlota Blanco, Assistant to the ED
Hogar Bambi Venezuela
Contact 1: Ani Rodriguez, Coordinator ‘Padrino’ Program
Contact 2: Carlota Blanco, Assistant to the Executive
director
Contact 3: Francisco Segnini, Director
CAINA - Centro de Atención Integral al Niño, Niña y
Adolescente
Contact 1: Hna Ana María González
Contact 2: Hna Karli
Hospital de Niños J.M. de los Rios / Fundación Patronato
del Hospital de Niños J.M. de los Rios
Contact: Dr. Federico Borges Rodríguez
US $11,470.00
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2- Project Objective
The overall objective of the Bear Hugs for Venezuela Pilot Project is to contribute to
emergency relief efforts by distributing needed pediatric supplements, dehydrated rice-
soy enriched meals, and Bear Hugs care packages for children to help alleviate the
profound humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

3- Background
Today, Venezuela is a failed state experiencing its worst economic crisis. Venezuelans
are struggling to survive in a country with escalating criminal and political violence with
the world’s highest inflation rate, expected to reach 1 million %, according to the
International Monetary Fund. It is almost impossible to find needed medicine and basic
food items. People are searching in trash cans for food, children are suffering from
malnutrition, and patients are dying in contaminated hospitals. Unfortunately, these
circumstances have snatched the dreams of the Venezuelan children who don’t even
have a teddy bear to hug while feeling sick and sad.

Bear Hugs for Venezuela is a humanitarian pilot project benefiting the children of
Venezuela and has implemented several projects since the year 2000.

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The Rotary e-Club of Houston District 5890 and Rise Against Hunger (RAH) joined to
initiate the project Bear Hugs for Venezuela to benefit children at the Hospital de Niños
JM de los Ríos. This partnership added the needed nutritious meals and pediatric
supplements to an effort initiated by Cristal Montañéz Baylor and her granddaughter
Kalleigh Joslin to send teddy bear packages to the children of the Children’s Hospital de
Niños J.M. de los Rios in Venezuela.

On December 18, 2017, a shipment containing 132 boxes of RAH meals, 16 boxes of
electrolytes boxes, 8 boxes de pediatric acetaminophen, 40 buckets of pediatric
probiotics, and 120 Bear Hugs care packages for children, departed from the Port of
Houston, and arrived in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on December 28, 2017. The
shipment was held in customs and delivered to the designated storage location on March
15, 2018.

The original overall objective of the Bear Hugs for Venezuela Pilot Project was to benefit
hospitalized children at the Children’s Hospital de Niños J.M. de los Rios. Under the
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proposed distribution plan, our local partner, the Rotary Caracas, tried to deliver the RAH
meals boxes, boxes of pediatric supplements, and the Bear Hugs care packages to the
Hospital de Niños J.M. de los Rios for three weeks. During this time, the Rotary team
was confronted by the Venezuelan regimen armed groups "colectivos” in five occasions
while trying to bring the RAH boxes using the back stairs of the Hospital.

According to one of the Rotarians implementing the project, he was stopped in a checking
point by security agents while transporting 8 of the RAH boxes in his truck to the Hospital
de Niños J.M. de los Rios. The security agents requested the purchase receipt for the
boxes since didn’t had it the security agents arbitrarily asked the Rotarian for all his cash
and confiscated 6 of the RAH boxes.

As a result of this challenging situation, only 2 of the 8 RAH boxes were successfully
delivered to the Fundación Patronato at the Hospital de Niños J.M. de los Rios, and 2
boxes of probiotics, 4 boxes of electrolytes and 2 boxes of acetaminophen were delivered
to Dr. Borges Rodriguez private practice at Clínica Luis Razetti. The following week, the
Hospital was militarized by the regime, and it was impossible to bring any boxes,
packages, backpacks, cameras or big purses inside the Hospital.

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Due to these multiple obstacles, our team in Houston were forced to reconsider the
original objective of the project and requested the president of Rotary Caracas to meet
with the doctors to discuss the current situation and request recommendations on how to
move forward with the project. Considering the current risky and unsafe situation in the
hospital, the doctors recommended redirecting the donations to three organizations
serving vulnerable and impoverished children patients of the hospital: Fundación Amigos
del Niño con Cáncer, Hogar Bambi Venezuela and Centro de Atención Integral al Niño,
Niña y Adolescente (CAINA).

At that point, we developed a new distribution plan for these organizations to fulfill the
objectives of the Bear Hugs for Venezuela Pilot Project and minimize the risks to the
fellow Rotarians.

4- Specific Objectives
The project has three specific objectives:

Objective 1.- To bring hope, joy and a smile to the faces of the children with the comfort
and therapeutic power of a teddy bears by distributing 120 care packages containing
teddy bears, coloring books, crayons, toothbrushes, toothpastes, and healthy high
calorie/nutritious snacks.

Bear Hugs for Venezuela believes that the value of giving teddy bears to
traumatized children stretches beyond merely providing them with something to
hold. Teddy bears meet the psychological needs of children experiencing sickness,
loss, pain or trauma caused by the current humanitarian crisis.

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Objective 2.- To help alleviate hunger and improve the condition of malnutrition of
children in the selected organizations by providing Rise Against Hunger (RAH) rice-soy
fortified meal packs to increase their protein, carbohydrate, and caloric intake.

RAH donated 132 boxes of meals. Each box contains 36 bags, and each bag
contains 6 servings each. Each box contains 216 RAH meals for a total of
approximately 28,512 meals.

Objective 3.- To contribute to improve the physical health of the children by providing
pediatric acetaminophen, pediatric electrolytes and pediatric probiotics.

5- Beneficiary Organizations
5.1 Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer
Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer is a non-profit organization founded in August
1984 by a concerned group of parents and doctors for children with cancer. The children
are patients of the Hospital de Niños J.M. los Ríos and other public hospitals from around
the country with very limited economic resources. Benefactors of the Foundation provide
sponsorship for comprehensive assistance to children with cancer to improve their quality
of life and give a helping hand to the family in need. Their most important program is Mi
Casita hostel, which has 18 rooms for 18 children and their companion to stay during
treatment, 16 of the rooms are dedicated for chemotherapy and control patients, and 2
for bone marrow transplant patients. Mi Casita hostel is entirely free and offers everything
they need to feel at home. There is a monthly rotation between 55 and 60 patients per
month.

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The families arrive at the hostel to eat in between appointments everyday. Psycho-
emotional, support, recreational and diverse educational activities are provided in
partnership with Centro de Atención Integral al Niño, Niña y Adolescente (CAINA).

5.2 Distribution at Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer

RAH meals, Bear Hugs care packages and pediatric supplements were distributed to
Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer by Rotary Caracas as follows:
- Total RAH boxes: 20
- Beneficiaries: 38 (including children 7 adult companion every 2 weeks for a total
of 152 in 60 days (8 weeks)
- Beneficiaries age: 0-18 years old children and their adult companion
- RAH meal frequency: 3 times per week served with chicken & vegetables
- RAH meal preparation & observations: when following the package instructions,
the meals are very dry; therefore, the nutritionists add more water and other
ingredients. The nutritionist usually cooks two pans of rice, one with chicken
another with only vegetables.
- Bear Hugs care packages: 19
- Probiotics buckets: 10
- Electrolytes boxes: 2
- Acetaminophen boxes: 2

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5.3 Remarks
Carlota Blanco, Assistant to the Executive Director, stated: “Receiving donated food that
directly impacts the quality of life of our children with cancer during these difficult
circumstances and hyperinflation is a blessing.” Additionally, Ms. Blanco reported: “The
consumption of the RAH meals 3 times a week is very beneficial for this population of
children for its high content of nutrients and vitamins.”

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5.4 Activities
Rotary Caracas in conjunction with the Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cancer’s staff
celebrated Children's Day at Mi Casita Hostel on July 15th. RAH meals were served for
lunch during this celebration, and Bear Hugs for Venezuela care packages were
distributed to the children.

5.5 Monitoring Visits to Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer

Monitoring visits were conducted to confirm the distribution of the boxes, to assess the
consumption of the RAH meals and to take a few pictures of the children. The overall
feedback was very positive and staff members were very appreciative for the donation of
RAH meals especially under the current economic crisis and hyperinflation in the country.

Our Rotary e-Club of Houston representative confirmed Rotary Caracas delivered the
RAH boxes as follows:
- April 26th: a sample bag of RHA meals
- April 30th: 2 boxes
- May 2nd: 8 boxes
- May 3rd: 10 boxes
- May 4th: Rotary made the official presentation of RAH meals with the participation
of a delegation of 17 people (3 patients, 3 adult representatives, and 11 staff) to
learn about the RAH meals preparation and give their feedback on the taste of the

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 meals. The RAH meal cooking preparation instructions was presented by the
nutritionist of Rotary Caracas.

The children population at Mi Casita hostel are very high-risk patients from impoverished
rural areas in different regions of the country. The hostel needs food to provide meals to
children and their companions and not necessarily to handle cases of malnutrition.

The cooks prepare the rice with vegetables and chicken. Our team corroborated the rice
was served 3 times per week as projected.

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5.6 Hogar Bambi Venezuela
Hogar Bambi Venezuela is a private nonprofit that aims for the integrated and holistic
attention to children and youth between 0 and 18 years old in situations of social risk as
abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse, indigence, extreme poverty, problems of the mother
with the law and indigence, among others. The organization offers orientation to the
biological or adoptive family and prepares the children to be reinserted into a family
environment in a safe way and stable conditions. Hogar Bambi Venezuela was founded
in April 1992, at the initiative of a group of people sensitized by the situation of children in
the country, led by Lic. Erika Spillmann de Pardo, who with the support of her father Dr.
Rupert Spillmann, decided to take action to help solve this problem. Hogar Bambi has
four homes in San Bernardino, Caracas.

5.7 Distribution at Hogar Bambi

RAH meals, Bear Hugs care packages and pediatric supplements were distributed to
Hogar Bambi by Rotary Caracas as follows:
- Total RAH boxes: 54
- Beneficiaries: 99 in all three hostels (99 children of the 110 consume this rice,
11 of them do not consume it because they are babies).
- Beneficiaries age: 0-18 years old orphan children
- RAH meal frequency: consumption of RAH meal depends on the house:
o Hogar Bambi I: 2 times per week RAH meals are served with protein &
vegetables.
o Hogar Bambi Enlace: 3 times per week with protein & vegetables
o Hogar Bambi: 1- 2 times per week with protein & vegetables the 110
consume this rice, 11 of them do not consume it because they are babies.
- RAH meal preparation: 7 cooks were trained on how to prepare the rice.
- No volunteer or employee benefits from rice.

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 - Bear Hugs care packages: 41
- Probiotics buckets: 10
- Electrolytes boxes: 5
- Acetaminophen boxes: 2

5.8 Remarks
Francisco Segnini, Director of Hogar Bambi Venezuela, sent the following written
statement: “On behalf of the children of our Hogar Bambi, we want to send you a special
thank you for the donation of rice as it has been very important for the nutrition of our
children. They eat the rice 3 times a week. We are very pleased to reassure ourselves
they are receiving all the nutrients they need for their growth.”

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5.9 Monitoring Visit to Hogar Bambi
Monitoring visits were conducted to assess the consumption of the RAH meals and to
take a few pictures of the children. The overall feedback was very positive and staff
members were very appreciative for the donation of RAH meal.

Our Rotary e-Club of Houston representative confirmed Rotary Caracas delivered the
RAH boxes as follows:
- May 24th: 15 boxes
- May 30th: 11 boxes
- May 31th: 14 boxes
- July 10th: 14 boxes

Our team corroborated the RAH meals are served 3 times per week in Hogar Bambi
Enlace, 2 times per week in Hogar Bambi I, and 1-2 times per week in Hogar Bambi.
Seven cooks were trained on how to prepare the RAH meals. They cook the rice with
vegetables and chicken. Based on this preparation schedule, the cooks estimated there
are enough RAH meals to last until the month of November.
Our team also noted that the children at Hogar Bambi are educated under the disciplinary
and educational parameters of this institution. The facility infrastructure is well kept and
is conditioned with educational, and recreational programs, dining and sleeping areas.
The programs offer children not only physical care but rules and values to help reinsert
the children into a family-oriented environment in a safe way.

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5.10 Centro de Atención Integral al Atención Integral al Niño, Niña y
Adolescente (CAINA)
CAINA is a non-profit association dedicated to the Integral Attention to Children and
Adolescents, mostly in situations of risk and who, at the time of entry, were excluded from
the formal school system for various reasons. CAINA looks after the integral training
(human, intellectual, spiritual and social) with a teacher in charge and two for skill training
(handicrafts, crafts and agriculture), in order to provide equal opportunities to enter
society in the field labor. The children attending CAINA’s programs and job skill training
are from extremely impoverished barrios in Baruta.

5.11 Distribution at CAINA

Rotary Caracas delivered the RAH meals as follows:
- August 9: 30 boxes

Our Rotary Caracas colleague loaded a truck with 30 boxes for CAINA. The loading of
the boxes into the truck got the attention of his neighbors. Our colleague became very
concerned for his personal security and the security of his family. Therefore, he decided
to pull back from the project temporarily. In order help him, we offered to hire someone to
move the rest of the boxes out of his home. Our colleague refused expressing his concern
about sharing his address with people he didn’t know.

On August 28th, our Houston team hired Cindy Catoni on behalf of Rotary e-Club of
Houston to support our colleague in Caracas, visit the beneficiary organizations and
collect needed data.

One of the Rotary e-Club of Houston representative tasks was to encourage our
colleague to enable her to move the boxes out of his home and deliver them to CAINA. A
couple of days later, he agreed to allow our representative arranged the pickup of the
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other 20 boxes for CAINA. Unfortunately, one of his neighbors saw the truck and called
the police and accused him of dealing with the regime food boxes known as “Clap.” When
the police arrived, all of the boxes were already out of his home and on the way to CAINA.
Our Rotarian colleague was threatened and harassed by the policemen who took $10
(approximately 30 million Bolivars) he had and promised to come back for more.

5.12 Distribution to CAINA

RAH meals, Bear Hugs care packages and pediatric supplements distributed to CAINA:
- RAH boxes: 50
- Beneficiaries: 500 children, volunteers and staff
- Beneficiaries age: 0-18 years old poor and orphan children
- RAH meal frequency: 3 times per week
- Bear Hugs care packages: 60
- Probiotics buckets: 0
- Electrolytes boxes: 5
- Acetaminophen boxes: 2

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5.13 Remarks
In a voice message, Sister Ana Maria expressed the following: “We are thankful for the
donation of rice. The RAH meals will be shared with the children from the nursery, integral
classroom, and CAINA skills training school. Additionally, because is so much amount,
we want to make sure this food gets to children from very, very poor communities who
don’t have anything to eat. We plan the prepare an “Olla Solidaria” (a solidarity
community meal) to bring happiness to that group of children.”

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5.14 Activities
RAH meals have been prepared and served to children from very vulnerable communities
during La Olla Solidaria and sports events in Baruta.

5.15 Monitoring Visit to CAINA

Rotary e-Club of Houston representative met with Sisters Ana Maria, Karli and Giselle
during the distribution of the last 20 boxes of RAH meals. Additionally, they discussed the
instructions for the preparation of the rice and provided ideas for adding different
condiments and ingredients for a diversity of flavors and textures.

Our Rotary e-Club of Houston representative coordinated the delivered the last 20 RAH
boxes to CAINA on August 30th.

Pictures and videos of the distribution of meals to the children and adolescents have
being provided by the Sisters who oversee this wonderful program.

6- Output and Achievements

Bear Hugs for Venezuela Pilot Project helped provide needed food, pediatric medical
supplements, and care packages to the targeted population of at-risk children from
diverse impoverished rural areas for a limited period of time. Additionally, our contribution
helped the beneficiary organizations provide nutritional meals to the children during this
challenging economic and humanitarian crisis.

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Some of the measurable project outputs and outcomes are as follow:

- 751 children, staff members and volunteers benefitted from the RHA meals
- 126 RAH boxes distribute (36 bags, and each bag contains 6 servings each/ each
box contains 216 RAH meals for a total of approximately 27,216 meals)
- 6 RAH boxes confiscated by security agents (36 bags, and each bag contains 6
servings each/ each box contains 216 RAH meals for a total of approximately
1,296 meals)
- 120 Bear Hugs care packages distributed (each package contains teddy bear,
coloring books, crayons, toothbrushes & toothpaste, high calorie/nutritious snacks)
- 192 Bottles of pediatric acetaminophen
- 192 Bottles of pediatric Pedialyte
- 40 Buckets of pediatric probiotics

7- Challenges
- The humanitarian and economic crisis not only affects the nutrition, health, and
education of the Venezuelan children, but it has also affected the morale of the
organizations as bureaucracy, and even illegal obstacles, intervened in the
implementation of our project.
- The transportation and distribution of donations during the projected time were
challenged and jeopardized by multiple obstacles, including the interference by
security agents, and the police. However, despite these difficulties, the Bear Hugs
for Venezuela objectives were fulfilled.
- The monitoring and evaluation of the project also presented serious difficulties
due to high crime rate and risky conditions that Rotarians had to encounter while
visiting the benefitting organizations.
- Nonprofit organizations in Venezuela are under strict surveillance by the regime
authorities who are looking for the minimal violation of the Organic Law for the
Protection of Children and Adolescents (LOPNA). Therefore, these organizations
are very cautious and hesitant to publish pictures of the children for fear the regime
might target their organization. However, we are pleased Hogar Bambi granted
permission to publish the requested pictures and CAINA has allowed the use of all
of the images they have shared with us.

8- Conclusions
The Bear Hugs for Venezuela Pilot Project benefitted 751 children, staff and volunteers
from the Fundación Amigos del Niño con Cáncer, Hogar Bambi Venezuela and CAINA.
The project was funded by Rise Against Hunger, Rotary e-Club of Houston and Cristal
Montañéz Baylor and implemented by Rotary Caracas and Rotary e-Club of Houston.

During the reporting period, the project successfully identified and selected the
beneficiary organizations; coordinated the distribution of the donations; and helped
trained the nutritionists and cooks on how to prepare the RAH meals. Monitoring visits
were arranged to help evaluate the project. Challenging issues were resolved as they
appeared and efficient solutions were adopted to fulfill the project objectives.
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Budget Summary
Act. Items Total
Code Amount

1.0 Bear Hugs Care Packages (teddy bears, coloring books, crayons, 983.00
toothbrushes & toothpaste, high calorie/nutritious snacks)
2.0 Acetaminophen 4 oz (192 bottles) 192.00
3.0 Pediatric Electrolyte 16.9 oz (192 bottles) 192.00
4.0 Pediatric Probiotics (40 buckets) 445.00
5.0 Rise Against Hunger (4,752 meal bags) 8,268.00
6.0 Transportation 1,189.00
7.0 Project Monitoring 200.00
Total 11,470.00

Prepared by Rotary e-Club of Houston International Committee members:

Cristal Montañéz Baylor & Isis Mejías
Data collected by Cindy Catoni

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