Hi friends!

This summer, during the month of June, I’ll be returning to my home country of Venezuela for the first time in eight years!! While there, I’ll be volunteering with an incredible organization called Impaktemos, whose mission is to promote educational programs nationwide, advocating for education as a means for personal growth and empowerment in a society very much affected by communism. More specifically, I will be working in the project Kasanay, which seeks to provide a comprehensive care for the Wayuu indigenous community, with the goal of preserving their culture while integrating them into the rest of society through education and employment. This community has nearly 100 unschooled children. Every dollar you give goes straight to the foundation — not to travel — and because of the currency exchange, even just a few dollars here can make a huge difference there.

As many of you know, Venezuela has endured many years of a long-standing authoritarian regime. My personal story has been marked by the events that have occurred there. With my family, I had to leave the country when I was 13 and so have 8MM other families that contributed to the country in numerous ways.

As an educator by vocation and venezuelan by lucky chance, I would like to go back and visit; not only as a tourist but as a teacher, to continue to discover the potential of seemingly little minds and to help bring out the best of the country from within. Maybe in this way, there will be a more promising future for the country in the years to come, for the families who had to stay and for the families who want to go back. 

I am very excited to be part of this adventure and I am grateful to anyone who would like to be part of this journey with me.

With much love,

Ruth Bethencourt

Impaktemos website: https://impaktemos.org/en/