Residents carry water from the local hospital up narrow staircases in the Guarataro neibourhood.
Venezuela is in crisis. Many of its citizens are taking to the streets to protest against President Nicolás Maduro and his government, which they accuse of criminal negligence.
Hyperinflation has reached such extreme levels that Venezuelans struggle to afford basic necessities, with many reportedly losing an average of 11 kilograms in body weight per year. This grim reality has been ironically dubbed the “Maduro Diet.”
Once loyal to Maduro, many poorer Venezuelans have shifted their support to the opposition as conditions deteriorate. The opposition, led by Juan Guaidó, has been at the forefront of demands for Maduro to step down. Guaidó’s declaration as interim president has divided international opinion and set the stage for a tense power struggle.
For residents like Aura Sarmiento, who lives in a modest home in Guarataro—a low-income neighborhood in Caracas—the frustration is palpable. Speaking to Al Jazeera, she expressed her anger.
“I’ve not had water for the past two years in my home… The closest [running water] is two miles away at the hospital… almost 500 people use one faucet,” she said.
Like many in Guarataro, Aura, once a supporter of Chavismo, is now disillusioned with the government. She channels her frustration through participation in opposition rallies. To highlight the dire water shortage in her neighborhood, she joined opposition politician Jesús Armas in picketing the Hidrocapital water company.
“We even managed to sit down with the director, but nothing ever changes. They say they’ll fix the problem, but they never do,” she said. Aura had access to running water for only four days in 2018.
Not all impoverished Venezuelans are politically active. For many, the daily struggle to secure their family’s survival takes precedence.
“I don’t give it much thought,” said Alvaro, a resident of the Caracol neighborhood in Caracas.
“My main worry is where the money for my family is coming from,” added the 45-year-old father of eight—four children from his first marriage and four with his current wife, Maria.
The minimum monthly salary in Venezuela is 18,000 bolivars ($5.47). A bag of flour costs 2,600 bolivars ($0.79), a bag of rice 2,900 bolivars ($0.88), and a pound of potatoes 6,000 bolivars ($1.80). Buying just these basic staples amounts to more than half a month’s wages.
For Anderson, a 23-year-old blacksmith and father of a six-month-old daughter, the situation is even bleaker. Unemployed and unable to buy food, he is forced to scavenge through rubbish for scraps.
“I do this because I have to… Some days I go back empty-handed, and we go hungry. It’s either this or stealing, and I’m not a bad person. So this is what I do to survive,” Anderson said.
Aura Sarimierito lives with her husband and youngest son. Her eldest lives in peru to send money back to her and the family which is their main source of income. Since 2016 hyperinflation has left many with little food and water.
Locals come to the store to get their groceries. Cash used to buy the food, is on a daily basis, becoming more devalued.
Aura Sarimierito stores water in old milk containers and bottles due to not having water in over two years. Only four days in 2018 she had running water in her taps.
Up to 500 residents use the same single tap in the Guarataro neighbourhood of Caracas many residents have to walk up to two miles to the local hospital to collect water from the local hospital.
In the Guarataro neighbourhood of Caracas many residents have to walk up to two miles to the local hospital to collect water from the local hospital.
A local shop in the Guarataro neighbourhood sells the basic foods. They have shortages often and the prices can rise daily, sometimes even twice a day due to the hyperinflation.
Anderson searches through the garbage truck to look for food for his wife and year old child at home. He will scavenge for food from 8am to 5pm. Some days he comes home with nothing. He worked as a blacksmith but in 2016 had to stop because the work dried up.
Anderson picks out a bunch of old oranges from the back of the truck. "If I don't do this my family will stave" he says.
"Hambre" translated to english means hunger. People graffiti the walls highlighting their issues and looking for Juan Guaido to restore democracy in Venezuela.
Smantha watches TV in the bedroom area of two of the eight children living in a two room house. Maria is finding it harder to support the family. Her husband Alvario lost an eye in an accident at work so he finds it hard to get money to support the family now. They have to rely on charity and the food the catholic mission gives.
Maria lives with her four children and her husband, Alvaro with his four children. Her and her husband sleep with four of the children in one bed. There is no running water and she says things are getting harder with the price of food.
At 55 years old Elgemar's father passed away from a stroke. The family struggled to find the medication to treat him. Elgemar said that she is ashamed that she couldn't afford a box for his ashes.
Many children in Puturo are malnourished and rely on NGO food banks to feed them. Many of the children have scabies and have no medication to treat them.
"Hambre" translated to english means hunger. People graffiti the walls along the highway highlighting their issues and looking for Juan Guaido to restore democracy in Venezuela. The next day this was removed.
Many children in Puturo are malnourished and rely on NGO food banks to feed them. Many of the children have scabies and have no medication to treat them.
With no running water in Caracol the family of eight use a bucket to wash and use as a toilet. The toiletries are about ten meters from the main house.
Just outside Caracas people are living in squalid conditions with no help from the government. Alvaro walks to his plot of land where he grow food for his family of eight.
"Hay Pan?" translates to "Where's the Bread?". People graffiti the walls along the highway highlighting their issues and looking for Juan Guaido to restore democracy in Venezuela.
Florimar, 25 years old her oldest son, 5years old and Leandro, 1 year old sit in their small house in Puturo slum. Leandro is suffering from scabies on his body and face.
The only two foods she has in her cubard is brown sugar and salt. She buys bread cheap and resells it in another area of Puturo which is how she supports her family. The father does help but rarely she says.
Florimar, 25 and her son Leandro, walk back home after attending the food bank set up by an NGO in Puturo.
A local NGO helps to provide medication and food to Amelia who has lost the majority of her body weight due to the "Maduro Diet", a term for the mass malnutrition in Venezuela.
Petera, Caracas is the largest slum in Latin America. Many areas in Caracas have been left indisrepair because of the lack of money for infrastructure. 90% of Venezuelans live below. the poverty line.