Annapolis, MD (September 16, 2020) The Rotary Club of Annapolis recently gave a $3,000 grant for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to hospital workers fighting the coronavirus in Caracas, Venezuela. The small grant has had a major impact on the community.
With the collapse of its healthcare system and ongoing humanitarian crisis, Venezuela has one of the highest mortality rates among healthcare workers of any country in the world. Doctors and nurses on the front lines routinely work without facemasks, gloves, or running water. Wages are meager and complaints about working conditions bring reprisals from authorities. Estimates from Amnesty International and the non-governmental organization Médicos Unidos de Venezuela indicate that medical professionals represent nearly 30% of the nation’s Covid-19 deaths.
The grant, in partnership with the Rotary Club of El Peñón in Caracas, provided 3350 pairs of gloves, 2500 N95 face masks, and 52 gallons of antibacterial gel to San Juan de Dios Pediatric Hospital and Ana Francisca Pérez de León Hospital. The supplies will protect approximately 60 healthcare professionals for a month, enabling workers to continue their mission to improve health conditions in the neediest communities in Caracas.
Delegations from El Peñón Rotary Club and the recipient hospitals held an online meeting September 3rd to formally recognize the importance of the donated PPE. El Peñón Rotary Club representative Juan Quintera said, “Thank you Annapolis Rotary for this vital equipment to help us save lives.”
The Rotary Club of Annapolis was founded in 1921 and includes 140 members focused on improving our local community and the world. Members attend breakfast, lunch, or happy hour meetings depending on their schedules. Guests are always welcome at Club meetings.