Thanks to everyone who contributed. I’m floored by the response we got.
Please don’t send any more money at this time! Save it for the next project we do.
If you live in Caracas, though, we could use some volunteers to help take care of the details on the ground. Loyal reader (and Ocariz appartchik) Federico Ortega is helping us organize that, so if you want to help with actually going to buy the tools, taking them to the school, making a little YouTube video to put up on the blog, taking pictures, etc. please write to him directly at fortega at gmail dot com.
Thanks again! We’ll keep you posted. We will try to make a YouTube video as soon as the kids have the new tools, so you can see with your own eyes that the money was spent well.
F__k me! That’s a first…”please do not send more money”… congratulations, I swear I was going to give, but I will wait for the next project. God bless you and the kids in Petare.
Jeje. Well, I’m paranoid about sending them too much and them not knowing what to do with it. I’d rather we stick to the goal, and if a new project comes up, we”ll evaluate it.
I agree. We have to taste the waters first.
Regardless, I am sure everything is going to work out just fine.
Smiley face here.
I think is goint to work just fine too. Actually I was very touched when I read yesterday’s article in El Nacional seeing the irony that a government that wants to controlled the production of aloe vera cant even guarantee the most basic things for its population, a decent elementary education, transportation and public safety. And is encouraging somehow seeing people trying to do their best, as the people in this school, with all the odds against them, that’s what a real revolution is.
* control
Many thanks fellow readers! Your help is very appreciated and will be put to good use.
Now some fellow readers and Caracas volunteers will take care of the details on the ground to get the tools to the school in short time.
If you want to help (we need to buy the tools, take them to the school, film, take pictures, etc.) please write me at fortega at gmail dot com
Glad to help, Juan. Out of curiosity, how many individual contributions did you receive?
24.
Everything went better than expected. I’m really happy for all this. Thanks to all for their support.
Hi Juan, I didn’t have time to get to Paypal before it was closed! Seriously :-) But this brings to mind an idea I have commented with a few people: those of us abroad can contribute even if we are not there, not only with money but with expertise and time. I am sure that people have different things that move them, for me education of underpriviledged childres rings close to home, for others it is the enviroment and some other care about animals. It would be great to use the power of Social Media (this blog being an example) to funnel some of the interest to help of those who live abroad.
If we found a couple of respectable NGO’s I am sure some of us could help then with fundraising activities. I don’t have any contacts on that sector, but would be willing to help since Social Media is how I earn my living.
Any suggestions where to start? Besides the Petare School of course that I am sure will be a resounding success :-)
I would love to help!!
I first saw this at 9:00 AM this morning on my blackberry. By the time I left the courthouse and got to the office, you had closed down the whole shebang.
Very unfair!
Thanks to some last minute donations, the grand total is $1,836. I will transfer the entire amount to the Petare people. TRAMPARENCIA!
I am glad that I could multitask today!
This is amazing!
Thank you for your efforts Juan
I am so happy, people at work are asking why I’m walking around with such a big smaile on my face.
Thank you guys. You made my day.
*smile*
The power of social media… Invisible Children, no te llevo nada!
Lo que falta es que ahora Quico salga corriendo desnudo por todo Montreal…
Nooooo
Coño, que se espere a Mayo, por lo menos! Se nos muere si sale desnudo ahora
…en bicicleta!
El Niagara no esta lejos……..
He will do that in June. Expect him to join in here:
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/World_Naked_Bike_Ride_rolls_through_Montreal-10300.aspx
Awesome! You all made my day!
It’s funny, I feel I missed a bargain when in fact what I missed was the chance to donate.
I am impressed that you made your goal so quickly. I am just now getting home and I would have donated. I guess I will wait for something else to come along.
Many people here say that the U.S. sends too much money to those in other countries and that we do not take care of our own people. While I somewhat agree with the saying some of our people are not being taken care of, it makes me angry that someone elsewhere cannot have a basic education to meet their needs when all of the money and resources are there, and a school cannot get it simply because its in an opposition neighborhood. I don’t care what anyone else says they are people too and they deserve to have the same opportunities as everyone else.
I hope those kids make good use of that stuff and I will be keeping an eye out for the next project!
Completelly OT: Why the radio silence here regarding the killing of the Chilean consul’s daughter in Maracaibo? I think is a pretty interesting (and sad) subject from several angles:
- What would had happened if it had been PEZ or PM instead of CICPJ? I can asssure you PP or Eveling would be in prison right now
- Bear in mind that these were not “rogue” policemen shaking down or dealing or anything. In their twisted minds, they were actually doing their job. You (and anybody around you) deserve to die if you don’t stop at a checkpoint. I think this is very telling of the insane level of violent crispason in the country.
Etc, etc, etc…
We discussed it over email, and there just isn’t an original angle we can give to this story. It’s all tragically sad, and sadly common.
The Venezuelan police is not just “corrupt”. It has become the main hindrance to solving the security issue. The military, I believe, are even worse.
In any case, here my thoughts as I wrote to a friend:
“El Aissami dijo hace un tiempo (en 2010, creo) que 20% de todos los
crímenes en Venezuela eran perpetrados por policías.
También dijo que había unos 40 mil policías.
Si hay 40 mil policías por unas 26577500 personas (en el momento en que lo dijo)
eso significa que aprox. un 0,15 % de la población venezolana comete un 20%
de todos los crímenes, no?
Al ojo por cierto, me parece que el policía promedio tiene un chance
de ser criminal que es más
de 150 veces mayor que un José Rodríguez promedio.
Imagínate: si te dicen que un Pedro Pérez frente a ti tiene un doble
de posibilidad de ser delincuente en comparación con el
venezolano promedio, ya te daría miedo. Si te dicen que la posibilidad
es 10 veces mayor, te alejas. Si tienes a un policía
venezolano tienes que levantar las manos con cuidado y decir “oficial,
buenos días, me rindo”
I’m keeping my contribution in a cochinito for the next project. Count on it.
Well done!
great work guys and congrats! I also didn’t get to donate in time :( next time maybe.
for the extra money, how about deadlocks and lockable cabinets perhaps? so it doesnt all disappear…. just my 2 cents. i hope it all works out well and that you keep us posted!
I was indeed thinking: how long before those things get stolen? How can we decrease the possibility of that happening? Minimize theft? Perhaps some inexpensive alarms in several places? Talks with the community?
I was thinking that my self but those cabinets cost a fortune. A mid size one can easily be $2K used.
Wow, great, didn’t really expect this to close so soon. Looking foward to your next project, hope we can donate in BSF soon. You can still set up a personal account for this i believe, but in the long run maybe getting a rif and etc. would be great.
Are you willing to donate your time for the RIF cause?