Social Programs

Venezuela's national preschool program known as Simoncito has been expanded to serve 70% of Venezuelan children, and a new drug prevention program will be launched in high schools this year in cooperation with the National Anti-drug Office, Venezuelan government officials announced over the weekend.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez approved funds for the construction of a series of new infrastructure projects on his Sunday talk show Aló Presidente yesterday. The new projects are extensions to the nation-wide mass transit systems already in progress.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, transferred the administration of public hospitals in the country’s capital from the municipal to the federal government Thursday, increased the salary of doctors on the public payroll, and allocated bonuses and permanent positions to public health care workers.

Amnesty International called Venezuela’s 2007 Law on the Right of Women to a Life Free of Violence “an example for the rest of the region,” but said practical implementation of the law has been slow. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Supreme Court created a special tribunal to manage domestic violence cases.

According to Venezuela’s National Nutrition Institute (INN), slightly more than 4% of Venezuelan children under the age of 5 suffered malnutrition in 2007 according to the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

President Chávez announced the creation of a new social program, which will provide treatment and rehabilitation to children in situations of drug and alcohol addiction, abandonment, exclusion, or vulnerability. The new program will be known as the “Children of the Neighborhood” mission.

Last weekend marked the fifth anniversary of the national social programs known as “missions” in Venezuela, created by the administration of President Hugo Chávez. Chavez used the occasion to announce various expansions and successes of the programs.

The Chavez government will launch a new social program, known as the “April 13 Mission,” to help eliminate poverty in Venezuela. The mission will be dedicated towards the improvement of living standards in poor neighborhoods, known as Barrios, and to the strengthening of communal councils.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced a new tax on extraordinary oil profits Monday, the revenue of which will help fund the expansion of health care programs known as the Barrio Adentro “missions,” which bring health care to marginalized communities with the help of Cuban doctors.

President Hugo Chávez inaugurated a new social program known as the Dr. José Gregorio Hernandez Mission on Saturday, which focuses exclusively on the health of Venezuelans who have disabilities. The main goal of the Mission is to carry out a nation-wide census of disability needs.