After twelve years, the Bolivarian Government has increased social

FRIDAY February 11, 2011 Year 1 Nº 4
ENGLISH EDITION
“Facts, Facts, and more Facts”
After twelve years, the Bolivarian Government has increased social
Investment five times reaching a total amount of US $ 330,582,000,000
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Chronicles
Friday, February 11, 2011
ENGLISH EDITION
ENGLISH EDITION
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Friday, February 11, 2011
of our everyday revolution
Absolute and tangible presence of the people
From messenger
to treasurer
The People- the raison d’être of the Bolivarian Revolution that started in 1999- have become, for the last twelve years, leaders of a
dramatic and wide-reaching change. The People have a say:
Strong faith
in solidarity
Yadira Merentes, a survivor of the
1999 Vargas mudslides, did not
hesitate to put her name on the
list of home-needy people. “I always had great faith in the President Chavez’ promises”. That
faith helped Merentes gather 75
families from different districts
of the state: Naiguatá, Caraballeda, Maiquetía, Catia La Mar, and
La Guaira and organize a communitarian commission for housing restoration and construction.
Yadira claims she had no idea what
would have happened if “the tragedy had occurred under a different Government”. Today, she and
other 336 families, who joined her
in her struggle, live in a housing
development complex called Solidaridad (Solidarity) located in Catia La mar.
So far, 2,380 housing solutions
have been provided to families affected by the heavy rains in 2010.
With close cooperation from the
People’s Republic of China, Russia,
and Byelorussia, 150,000 houses
will be built within the next two
years; 70,000 of them have already been built.
Luis Roque used to work for a private contractor of sea food processing at the dock of Cumana Port.
He earned a meager wage. After
having a terrible accident at work,
where he lost his right arm, his
value as a laborer diminished. The
company abandoned him completly. As a result he was forced to
beg in public places. Luis became
another victim of the voracity of
the capitalist system.
Mairelis Ceballos’ life changed dramatically when she decided to become
a social fighter through a social program entitled Misión Madres del Barrio (Mothers of the Slum). She intended to help herself and other women to
transcend their own limitations.“Since
2006, my life has turned into a constant struggle for the rights of women
with any sort of disability. Any time I
hug them, or I spend time with them,
I feel this is nothing but social work,”
Ceballos said.
Since then his life has significantly changed. He now gets all
the benefits according to the law,
thus improving his quality of life:
“Thanks to God I was given this
opportunity, because I had no
means to support my family.
That is why I thank Pescalba for
making me feel useful and for everything they still do for me. That
is why I’m still here. I’ll keep moving on”.
After the nationalization of the
Bank of Venezuela, the customer
service capacity has increased 31%,
deposit taking capacity 84.1%, and
the credit performance 52.2%,
and they have also incorporated
52 new offices and 200 ATMs. Besides these, 31 communal banks
He says that the new vision of the have been installed in popular arbank is to have people as “a pri- eas with the goal of reaching 200.
Elvis Quintero started working
in the bank as a messenger and
now he’s the treasurer at the Bank
of Venezuela main offices. After
graduating as a computing technician, he was promoted.
CANTV’s support to social activities
went from BsF 145 million (US $
40,000) before its nationalization to
BsF one billion (US$250,000)
For me, it’s an honor to carry the
UNES ID card, the cap, and the badge
because this way we are making the
difference. I do believe in this police.
I know it’s a high-risk job, but I’d do
anything for my country”.
Alejandra Noriega, a student at the
Experimental National College for
Security (UNES Spanish Acronym),
claims that her goal of becoming
part of the Venezuela´s National
Police force draws closer everyday.
“Being admitted in the College is
already an achievement, but graduating is my next goal. We have gotten the chance to study in order to
become good officers.
The Bolivarian National Police (PNB
Spanish Acronym) started in 2009
and involved 952 officers, reaching
4,222 officers in 2010 out of which
718 were women. The operations
carried out by the National Police,
side by side with the community, in
the Sucre parish on the west side of
Caracas --7,000 inhabitants area-reduced homicides rates to 44% in
less than a year.
23-year-old Jesús Granados lived
in El Valle (Southern Caracas) and
worked in Montalbán (northern
Caracas). Jesús could barely study
and cover the overtime demanded
from his former boss at the CADA
Supermarket due to the distance
between the two places. But now
the CADA Supermarket is a Bicentennial Market (Abasto Bicentenario in Spanish).
Felicia Huice, a 66-year-old inhabitant of San Agustin parish in Caracas,
recently graduated as a technician
from Misión Sucre (social program
of education).
“The missions suit me perfectly, because when I was younger, though I
wanted to study, I couldn’t,” this wom-
an says. She is a mother, a grandmother, and a social fighter. After retiring,
Felicia signed up for Misión Ribas
(social education program for high
school studies) and has not stopped
ever since. “We were the fourth group
which graduated from this Misión and
I immediately started Misión Sucre.
I got this year an Advanced Technical Degree in Social Management for
Local Empowering, and I’ll keep on
studying until I get my undergraduate
diploma”.
She never misses a chance to say
that “under the Bolivarian Revolution,
those who don’t study, it is because
they don’t want to. That’s why I want
the education programs to continue,
so that more opportunities to study
are provided for those who couldn’t
do it in the past”.
Jesús is part of the cleaning staff in
one of the branches of the Bicentennial Markets chain, and he claims the
company has completely changed its
policy in the economic and human
areas: “We didn’t use to get paid for
working overtime, our salary was lower, and now everything is different.”
he says with the typical optimism of a
young person. He highlights that now
all workers have the opportunity to
study and to be promoted.
The 35 markets of the Socialist Network of Bicentennial Markets nationwide seek for the transformation of
the speculative system through a fairer commercial offer, and by strengthening the strategies of the Bolivarian
Government to assure the food security of Venezuelans.
The Bicentennial Markets
Network sold over BsF 2.8 billion
(US$ 700,000)
No impediments for
those who want to study
A call to serve
Mothers
with Propertiesz
Mission Mothers of the Neighborhood is not just about a monthly
payment of US$ 250, but it also prepares the women in the area of social
production projects. Marelis, along
with other women, is ahead of the
textile production factory Manuelita
Saenz located in Aragua State. In the
same place Marelis teaches disabled
boys and girls to sew “so that they
grow up being useful people”. The
Mission provides technical preparation for work to housewives who
need it the most. Today the mission
benefits 100,000 people.
ority. We have [also] amplified our
customer service capabilities. Ever
since the Bank of Venezuela absorbed the clients of former “Banco Federal” our 18 cashiers receive
between 3,500 and 4,000 clients
daily.”
Will at full sail
Fortunately, by 2010 the socialoriented factory Pescalba was
opened in the area and Luis was
absorbed as a permanent worker.
A range
of possibilities
A weekend
for a smile
you see how they go home with a
smile on their faces and very excited
to take the Canaima computer with
them. The weekend is worth it”.
Miguel Villegas is just one of the
hundreds of workers from CANTV
(National Telephone Company) who
work hard as volunteer to deliver
computers in the Bolivarian Schools
as part of the Educational Project Canaima. He’s glad to do the job.
“You cannot compare this activity to
anything else; you have to experience seeing these kids awake since
early in the morning, some of them
even slept wearing their uniforms
in order to be the first ones. Then
The Canaima program equips public schools with laptops, each one of
them with educational software, so
that children get used to new forms of
technology from early age. 525,000
computers were handed in 2010.
Company CANTV-Movilnet recorded
a 134% increase of both fixed and
mobile phone lines. This represents
a figure of 14,056,936 subscribers of
mobile lines and 5,894,876 subscribers of fixed lines by the end of 2010.
Additionally, the amount of Internet
users was of 1,461,915.
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ENGLISH EDITION
Friday, February 11, 2011
The
Better alone than with DEA
17
Captured and Extradited Drug Lords
14
14
54
4
0
Venezuelans secures its food supplies
2006
2007
three-roots three blossoms
2008
2009
2010
-Since the Bolivarian Government terminated an agreement with
DEA, over 54 drug lords have been captured compared to previous
years in which not a single important capture was made.
Towards the happiest Life
Mission Nutrition
por persona al año
2008
(3.617)
Fonden
46%
2010
Food Consumption increased 25% in ten years
Source: Ministry of People’s Power for Nutrition
Fondespa
- Venezuela declared free of illegal drug crops by on its fifth consecutive year.
- The Organic Law on Drugs made in 2010 creates a National AntiDrug Fund to support the Bicentennial Security Program (Dibise
Spanish Acronym).
4%
Agricultural Projects 6%
(28.590 mm $)
499,76 Kg
2004
(2.335)
- 140,000 lbs of drugs seized
Creación de
The largest classroom in the world
Achievements
by the dozen
-17 International drug trafficking leaders were captured and extradited in 2010
Creación de
5
Friday, February 11, 2011
Pre-school Elementary School High School University and College
1.543.660
3.431.920
2.259.862
2.500.000
Total Students = 9.735.442
+
The ideas left by Simon Bolivar, Simon Rodriguez and
Ezequiel Zamora allow us to create a revolutionary
conscience that let us achieve great goals in our
search for freedom, inclusion, and equality.
5
2005
ENGLISH EDITION
7%
(4.229 mm $)
Housing and Infrastructure 6%
(3.686)
- Total rate of pre-school education 2009/2010 reached 71% (43%
in 1998).
- Elementary school registration 2009/2010 reached 93% (86, 2
% in 1998).
- High School Registration 72% (37,8 % in 1998).
- Public Universities increased its undergraduate population by
210%. There are 78 university students per 1,000 citizens. University rate students 83% out of which 75% belongs to the public sector and 25% to private institutions. 40% study in Mission Sucre.
- Mission Nutrition has distributed 10 million tons of food
(5.790)
Mission Ribas4%
(2.229)
Community Support 5%
(3.025)
Other 13%
Mission Robinson I Mission Robinson II Mission Ribas
Mission Sucre
1.706.145 graduates
577.482 graduates
635.000 graduates
41.008 graduates
(7.868)
- Social Investment was increased by five, going from US $
69,732,000,000 to US$ 330,582,000,000.
-Extreme poverty dropped from 21% in 1998 to 7.1% in 2010.
- The networks of food distribution have reached 12 million people.
-By 1998 49% of the people lived in poor households, by 2010 it dropped to 26.8 %
- In 2010 Venezuelanns reached 2,790 Kcal rates per person, this
number is above the FAO standards of 2,700 Kcal. Back in 1998
it was 2,202 Kcal.
-Venezuela leads the listings of countries that have reduced inequality
levels as reflected in the Gini rates which went from 0.50 to 0.38, the
lowest in Latin America.
- The Venezuela State did not participate in the nutrition of the
people, but today it is responsible of 33% of the national network,
supporting low costs of products by 40 and 60% less than those
of the market.
-The number of pensioners have increased since 1998 going from
387,000 to one 1,544,586 by the third trimester in 2010.
The country has 1,351,269 internet users with 33% of national coverage
- In 1998 internet access was only 3%
- There are 5.97 Cantv fixed lines, 65% more than the 3.5 million in
2007.
- 875,000 Canaimitas (elementary school laptops) have been delivered to
elementary school children between 2009 and 2010.
- After the technological alphabetization of 1,096,989 people Venezuela
was awarded with the King Hamad Isa Al Khalifa Prize by UNESCO. There
are also 737 Infocentros (free internet connection), 434 of which are connected to Simon Bolivar Satellite
Mission Miracle
Since its creation over 1,139,798
eye surgeries have been made.
Mission Inside the Neighborhood 9%
Mission Inside the Neighborhood I, II, III y IV
Pdvsa has provided US $ 61 billion to social development plans (2004-2010)
Complete and limitless connectivity
Health is not a product
Egalitarian distribution
Venezuela has the highest
minimal wage in Latin
America. The minimal wage
in enezuela is equivalent to
US $ 471. By including food
cupons as part of the salary,
the income increased 18%
-The fund for asocial activities in Cantv went from BsF 145 million to
BsF 1,065,000 since its nationalization.
Real minimal wage
Bs.F. 2.199
2010
1.224
2009
968
2008
799
2007
615
512
2006
2005
405
2004
321
2003
247
2002
190
2001
190
2000
144
Bs.F
- Unemployment rates dropped 6.5% by the end of 2010, in contrast to
1998’s 15.16%.
- 56% of the working population had a formal job in 2010, and the informal sector 43%.
- The GIP in Venezuela was US$ 88 billion in 1998. By the end of 2010 it
was US$ 257 billion. Meaning a 290% difference.
“If you get beaten blindly, the only efficient answer is to beat back wisely”. Mario Benedetti
- 6,172 popular medical clinics and some 3,019 dentist rooms all
throughout the country have been installed. 459 ophthalmologic popular houses have been created.
- 519 Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers; 562 Rehabilitation Rooms;
29 High-technologies Centers; 22 Ophthalmologic Centers and 9 Heart
Centers.
- 421,444,951 healthcare assistance visits 765,489 have been in site;
7,055 births have been assisted and 292,499 lives have been saved.
- 178 Health Centers have received 24,408 units of medical equipment
such as: Imagenologic equipment (428); Diagnostic Support (1,538),
Dialysis (296), clinical furniture (7,449), Emergency and Intensive care
Equipment (6,033), QX (5,144), endoscope video equipment (141), Surgery and anesthesia (1,460), Kitchen and Laundry (1,919).
- The Children Heart Hospital Dr. Gilberto Rodriguez Ochoa has made
4,800 surgical interventions to patients coming from Latin America and
Africa.
Enero 2011
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ENGLISH EDITION
Friday, February 11, 2011
People’s
power on its highest peak
Socialist communes promote welfare
Day after day, the social movements are fortified by the revolutionary impulse and gather together to overcome weaknesses, share
experiences, and guarantee the state of welfare.
Lara moves towards a socialist future
Eight Communal Councils have fused together
into a single Socialist Commune under construction , Villas de San Jose de Bolivar. Thanks to
community organization through the socialist
squads and self –management, 7,200 people
who lived in shanties now have the joy of living
in 775 ft2 apartments with three bedrooms, one
bathroom, living room, and a kitchen.
President Chavez has described this commune
as a excellent example of the future that lies
ahead of the Bolivarian Revolution. In this new-
born commune from Barquisimeto already has
two concrete blocks factories, one Simoncito
(elementary Bolivarian schools), a Bolivarian
high school, a Comprehensive Production Unit
Caprina, a blacksmith workshop, a carpenter’s
workshop, and a multiple-use sports court.
ENGLISH EDITION
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Friday, February 11, 2011
Recovered lands guarantee production
Two communes under construction (Tacarigua IV and Panal 2021) comprised by 22
Communal Councils already have on their
hands the land property documents of the
Unit of Social Production Paula Correa located
in the valleys of the States of Aragua, specifically in the Jose Rafael Revenga Municipality.
This social production unit was named after
the father of General Ezequiel Zamora (hero of
peasant social movements in Venezuela). The
unit owns 135 hectares of type I soil, 19.5 of
which are considered protected crops (agro-
chemical products free) of tomatoes, cucumber,
watermelon, eggplant, sweet pepper, and radish; these ones produced all year long.
The lands were recovered from landlords
through the 2007 decree 5,378 that prohibits the construction of houses and commerce
in lands fit for agricultural use and that are
considered of primary importance for the food
security of the nation. 24,217 acres have been
used to build 38 units of social production units
out of 130,000 acres of Type I and II soil.
The capitalist development model is discarded
By the exertion of People’s Power 40,000 houses
will be built at a national level with a total investment of BsF three billion announced by President
Chavez during last Tuesday’s celebration of the
12 years of the Bolivarian Government.
The gates to socially-owned cell phone and accessories producer Orinoquia were wide opened for
the inhabitants of the Barrio Union neighborhood
in Petare parish of Caracas. In there, 31 neighbors
have been selected to produce cell phone casings
in the Social Production Unit El Carmen.
Orinoquia Company produced 150,000 cell
phones between May and December 2010.
The company plans to increase its production to one million items distributed in cell
phones, and pen-drive type of modems used
in mobile technologies.
Communal management in 23 de enero
Panal 2021 is the name given by the inhabitants of
the 23 de Enero parish to their Commune, which
is under construction. The Commune already has
an ecological block factory (Bloquera Ecológica Socialista), and a sugar packing plant. These socially-owned enterprises got rid of the figure of “employer” since the decision making process is on
the hands of the Worker’s Council and the Community. The block factory has a producing capacity of 3,000 blocks daily, including its five models:
large size, mid size, piped, brick type, and half
brick type. The blocks are used for the construction and improvement of homes in the community, giving priority to low-income families.
Bread is sold in El Valle with God as a flag
Under the name Caracas Bicentenaria, 5.2 tons
of sugar are packed and marketed for the benefit of the 84,000 people that live in 23 de Enero
and for other 1,500 people of the Panal 2021
commune. The inhabitants receive the products
through four Biceabastos (friendly-priced markets), the Pdval markets, and 52 other small
local retail stores. Five decree-laws aimed at
strengthening the people’s power and setting
the legal bases for the Communal State were
passed December 21 2010. The Organic Law of
Communes, the Laws for Communal Economic
System, and the Laws for Socially-Oriented Control are amongst the passed laws.
For the people in Barrio 70 and other surrounding areas of El Valle parish Sixto Hurtado is their best poet: A baker who, together with his wife and children, run the
bakery and cake shop Nissi located in Las
Terrazas since two years ago.
Nissi is a Hebrew name that means “God is
my flag” and it opened its gates on November 2008 thanks to a credit by the Communal Bank Terrazas en Accion. The credit
Social Property: a Collective Commitment
At Los Andes Diary factory , workers demonstrate how participation, enthusiasm, and
the sense of belonging in social properties
are transformed into higher production and
benefits for the people. The workers’ believe in “the point inside a circle”, where the
point refers to the factory and the circle to
the surrounding communities, make it possible to keep both entities linked. Under this
concept, the processing plants in Lara and
Mérida states provide milk to 25,000 children daily. The workers and the community
have also created the Housing Committee
through which they promote projects such
as the home restoration program, which includes the substitution of asbestos ceiling
by galvanized sheet root. They also make
donations of wheelchairs and prosthesis for
the disabled, among other activities.
Los Andes Dairy factory increased its monthly
production from15,700 tons of milk in 1999
to 30,000 by November 2010. It reported a
100% increase in production.
was approved by a citizen’s assembly called
by the members of the Community Council
of Las Terrazas. The bakery benefits to the
community as they can purchase high quality products with 30 to 40% discounts.
The Organic Law of Communal Councils, which
became affective on December 29, recognizes
communal councils as a place of participation
and direct popular sovereignty excerption
The Fondo Bicentenario invests in textile and shoes
The union Government-Entrepreneurs has
worked, as two companies reborn in Miranda State. Fabric factory La Fila, produces
a variety of articles such as: fishing nets,
hammocks, tablecloths, sports uniforms,
and lace. By the time the company received
the credit in 2010 it only had 14 employees.
Today that number is duplicated.
In Paracotos, the community and the owners of Creaciones Gianlop factory produce
school shoes, children shoes, and security
and casual shoes after the family company
received a credit of BsF 2.5 million (US$ 500)
by the Bicentennial Bank. The company went
from 8 to 38 employees, all of them selected by
the Communal Council of the area. And it is the
community who has benefited from it, and not
only because of the jobs, but also from the lowcost products.
The Bicentennial Fund was created by a decree
in 2010 and since then it has promoted strategies for the substitution of importations in order to stimulate the exporter sector of the country. Two billion Bolivares have been assigned to
these projects that boost up the exportation of
non-traditional products.
Friday, February 11, 2011
National in orbit
Designed by Venezuelans and built in the People’s
Republic of China with a total investment of US
$ 406 millions the Simon Bolivar Satellite was
launched on October 29 2008. Since then, the
satellite has benefited some 2,333 different
places in the country by bringing together the
land communications network managed by
CANTV and the satellite service of ABA; 470
thousand users of free online connection in
infocentros have also benefited from the satellite, and the students from the 828 schools
who connect on the internet through the Canaima project and are handed with educative
digital programs boxes. Medical data like radiographies, and ultrasounds are transmitted via
the Public National Information System for Health
and Social Inclusion.
Saving lives from the heart
The Children Heart Hospital Dr. Gilberto
Rodriguez Ochoa, Dr. Gilberto Rodríguez
Ochoa, is a large structure of 39,000
square meters inaugurated on august
2006. 4,802 have been operated.
The centers see 600 patients a year
and have increased its capacity in the
area of heart pediatrics in the country.
Its construction required a total investment of Bs F 41.40 billion.
Your Own Roof
The Residential Complex Simon Bolivar
was inaugurated on September 2010 as
part of an agreement between Iran and
Venezuela the Complex is comprised by
432 apartments that are added to a total of 2,448, the same number of organized families from communal councils
benefit from this project.
The apartments are 861 square feet
big and they have living room, three
bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a laundry area.
ENGLISH EDITION
In half an hour
Since the inauguration on October 16 2006 of the
first stretch of the Ezequiel Zamora Railway System the inhabitants of Los Valles del Tuy that
commute in Caracas no longer need to wake up
at 3:30 AM. The railways allow the passengers
to make a 31 minutes-trip from Los Valles del
Tuy to Caracas; 22 minutes from the Charallave
Norte station, and 17 from the Charallave Sur
station. The trip used to take one hour and a
half. 52 million passengers have used the system from the moment of inauguration to the
third trimestre of 2010. With a total investment of US $ 2,282 million, the railway has created over 4,130 jobs and it represents an important advance in ht e project for a National Railway
System promoted by the Bolivarian Revolution.
San Agustin changed rhythm
From six AM to ten PM it only takes nine
minutes to the inhabitants of San Agustin parish in Caracas to go from home to
work or any other place in the city. They
use the Metrocable system 56 cars, ach
with a capacity of carrying eight passengers.
The five stations of the aerial transport opened on January 2010 are:
Parque Central, Hornos de Cal, La Ceiba,
Los Manguitos, and San Agustin.
Art in concrete
The Orinoquia Bridge, second on the Orinoco River, was opened on November
13 2006 and it is one of the largest and
most important infrastructures ever built
in the country. With a total investment
of US $ 1,283 billion this piece of Venezuelan engineering and art is 3,156
meters long, has four traffic channels,
and a railway line on its center.
The Metal superstructure links the
southwest States of Bolivar, Monagas ans
Anzoategui with one another and their 166
kilometers of highways.
Venezuela de Verdad is a Newspaper Edited by the Ministry of People’s Power for Communication
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