NOTES FROM THE BARRIO: INSIDE CARACAS' POOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 002044 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON VE SUBJECT: NOTES FROM THE BARRIO: INSIDE CARACAS' POOR NEIGHBORHOODS REF: A. CARACAS 219 ¶B. CARACAS 1897 ¶C. CARACAS 1067 This message is sensitive but unclassified, please treat accordingly. -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On July 1, EconOff visited the Caracas barrio (improverished neighborhood) of San Juan, alongside AmiSucre, an NGO that provides specialist medical care to marginalized communities. The popularity of these medical services highlighted the need for this type of care -- and the inadequacy of existing BRV health care offerings. The BRV health mission Barrio Adentro (a network of primary care clinics staffed largely by Cuban medical personnel),was not present in this neighborhood, and anecdotal evidence from Venezuelan doctors suggested that a large number of existing Barrio Adentro modules are inoperative. The barrio, perceived by outsiders to be a crime-ridden, drug-infested area, was not as unsafe as expected, and the community was suprisingly organized in welcoming the visitors and caring for their neighborhood. Through conversations with volunteers, EconOff was also able to gain insight into Chavista grassroots operations and the BRV's community council initiatives. End Summary. -------------- "Medical Day" in the barrio -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On July 1, EconOff visited the San Juan/Guarataro neighborhood, accompanied by members of AmiSucre (a local NGO that provides specialist medical care to marginalized communities) in order to observe the state of community health care systems. AmiSucre organizes "Jornadas Medicas" (medical days) in "barrios" (impoverished neighborhoods), teaming up with medical specialists, and setting up shop in any building that will house them. USAID is coordinating a USD 20,000 donation of medications to this organization, which currently provides free medications donated to the NGO by domestic and international pharmaceutical labs and other sources. ¶3. (SBU) On this trip, AmiSucre convened in a former classroom that currently houses an independent low-income medical clinic (the clinic lacked medical equipment, it was just a room with tables),and in private homes nearby. The group was comprised entirely of Venezuelan volunteer specialists, including a cardiologist, a general practitioner, a pediatrician, a pulmonologist, a nefrologist (assisting with pre-diabetes checks),dental and pharmacy students, a legal adviser, a volunteer administering vaccines, and a team from Fundanemia, an NGO promoting anemia awareness/treatment. ¶4. (SBU) AmiSucre's coordinator, Antonio Rodriguez, explained that specialist care is virtually inaccessible to marginalized neighborhoods like San Juan. Despite lack of visible signs or major advertising (some flyers were handed out locally) to promote the Jornada, the rooms were packed as soon as the group started. People were very grateful to receive free medication and a specialist's services. Though not a medical expert, to EconOff the operation seemed chaotic -- no set start time, no volunteers triaging the patients, dogs running loose in consulting areas, doctors doing consultations in kitchens, or the vaccines being administered without rubber gloves or an alcohol wipe. Many people CARACAS 00002044 002 OF 003 brought their pets to be vaccinated (also an advertised service),but were turned around when the veterinarian didn't show (the actual vaccines were there). However, for Venezuelans the hygiene and organization stardards appeared to be completely acceptable -- and people navigated the system well to get what they needed. Even children took the initiative to get their influenza and measles vaccines, dragging their parents to the vaccination stand. The popularity of the program hinted at how lacking primary and specialist care is in this neighborhood. It also suggests how the minimal health services offered by the Cuban-administered Barrio Adentro program is so popular in the poor neighborhoods. -------------- General observations on barrio life -------------- ¶5. (SBU) An outsider's perception of barrio life (even among middle-upper class Venezuelans) is that these neighborhoods are plagued with crime, drugs, and social ills. However, the barrio was not as unsafe as expected. Though on the drive up there were some visible drug dealers, piles of trash, and unwelcoming alleys, overall it felt relatively safe to walk around and people, especially children, were friendly. Infrastructure was pretty run down (the streets were operable, but in need of repair),yet houses had running water and people were sweeping streets as part of what looked like their daily routine. Despite the poverty, the community pooled resources and bought enough food to give the 20 plus doctors and volunteers breakfast and lunch. They also set up televisions for the group (and themselves) to watch a World Cup game. -------------- On BRV missions -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Despite the BRV's promotion of Barrio Adentro clinics (a BRV "Mission" comprised of primary care clinics staffed by Cuban medical personnel),in San Juan there was no Barrio Adentro (BA) clinic to be seen. A Venezuelan volunteer surgeon who works out of the independent neighborhood clinic every Saturday told EconOff (not knowing that EconOff was from the U.S. Embassy) that when the Cubans came, most worked out of makeshift offices in people's homes, and not in the hexagonal clinics that the BRV built nationwide for this purpose (Ref A). He estimated that more than 40 percent of the Cuban doctors are gone, and that most hexagonal modules are empty. EconOff drove past two BA hexagons on the way back home (on a Saturday morning),and both were closed. The Venezuelan doctor also added that Barrio Adentro's doctors were not qualified -- he offered an anecdote of one of the two Cuban doctors in the area getting sick, and the remaining Cuban seeking the aid of the Venezuelan doctor instead of his Cuban colleague. ¶7. (SBU) According to one AmiSucre volunteer from the area, the missions were "failing" and people were beginning to see them for what they were: political propaganda. Regarding health care, AmiSucre's coordinator told EconOff that when Barrio Adentro started, it sucked away funding from other primary care initiatives (either co-sponsored by churches, by the Ministry of Health, or with NGOs). See septel to follow on Barrio Adentro. ¶8. (SBU) In contrast to Barrio Adentro's absence was the presence of the BRV's food mission, Mercal (Ref B). EconOff observed some Mercals -- one with an official Mercal sign, another with a hand-written sign -- and a PROAL, a government-sponsored cafeteria destined to feed the CARACAS 00002044 003 OF 003 lowest-income Venezuelans. The PROAL, however, was closed, and looked like it had been closed for some time. -------------- On grassroots political activity -------------- ¶9. (SBU) A volunteer told EconOff that there was an element of "fear" as part of Chavismo in the barrio -- he said that the MVR recruited the "malandros" (criminals) of the barrio to be activists, and that this effectively silenced opposition-leaning or critical voices in the community. While EconOff was assisting in the makeshift clinic, a group of upper-class young people from an opposition political organization called Grupo Cambio came to talk to patients and organizers. The group is an opposition NGO that provides political training to young leaders and carries out social projects in poor neighborhoods. They typically piggy-back on AmiSucre events to look for young barrio leaders open to political training. The visitors raised no eyebrows, despite their visibly upper-class appearance and political purpose. -------------- On community councils -------------- ¶10. (SBU) An AmiSucre volunteer providing pro bono legal advice, who identified himself as opposition and living in a middle-low income neighborhood, conveyed to EconOff that he attended a Community Council meeting in his barrio and that they had not followed the law when it came to electing members on the council's committees (Ref C). However, he viewed the councils positively, since it meant money going directly to the community versus trickling down from the mayor's office. He said that people needed to act now, because only the most organized groups (pro-Chavez political groups) were seizing upon the council money. He said there was a real danger of this money going toward "political ends." When asked about corruption, he said some money would of course disappear, but he was optimistic that the funds could be used for legitimate projects. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The visit to the barrio of San Juan shed light on the general state of affairs in Caracas' periphery. The popularity of the "Medical Day" alone highlighted the need for primary care (such as vaccinations) and specialist care in the barrio -- proving that neither the Ministry of Health or Mission Barrio Adentro are cutting it. Despite perception of the barrios as crime-infested no-man's lands, the neighborhoods showed a suprising level of organization and good will towards visitors. The views of some volunteers from the area hint that on the ground, the missions and community councils are relatively valuable and important to low-income Venezuelans, though by no means are they perfect or wildly successful enterprises. End Comment. BROWNFIELD