Venezuela: Humanitarian aid and neutrality

The economic crisis in Venezuela has been frequently reported in the news, but behind these headlines there is a serious and growing humanitarian crisis. Many thousands of people are going hungry and hospitals are short of essential medicines.  

This activity uses two short videos to discuss the implications of the crisis on people’s everyday lives, and the importance of the humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence. 

Learning objectives

Learners will:

• discuss the effect of an economic crisis on people’s everyday lives
• consider the kinds of humanitarian aid needed
• think about the humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence.

Resource overview

1. Venezuela: The humanitarian situation
Learners watch a short news clip and learn about the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and how it has affected people’s everyday lives.

2. Video: Humanitarian aid and neutrality
By watching an interview with the president of the International Federation of the Red Cross, learners think about the role of the humanitarian principle of neutrality in providing humanitarian aid. 

Please note: The British Red Cross is a neutral humanitarian organisation. The use of third party content in this teaching resource does not constitute an endorsement, express or implied, of the content or of the third party. 

Credits
This resource was written by Rob Bowden and Rosie Wilson of Lifeworlds Learning and published in February 2019.

Image © Edgard Garrido/Reuters.