2017 Annual Report — Saludos Connection

Looking back at 2017

At the turn of 2017

We started with a stronger effort to reach vulnerable Venezuelans. With solid partnerships, we began to work more closely with them and their communities. We set out to find the medicine and supplies our partners needed to take care of their patients.

A year later, our partnerships are even stronger. Along the way, we have inspired many others to join us — students, actresses, chefs, filmmakers, consultants, Venezuelans, Americans, etc. With their help, we’ve been able to continue supporting the work our partners are doing out on the field every day.

A year later, we’ve learned from many experiences (including several classes) and we’re ready to start 2018.

Our team

Our team continues to grow and evolve

As we’re all volunteers, the team takes different shapes and sizes throughout the year. It’s an additional challenge. But it also means more and more people have joined the Saludos mission!

We also continue to expand our team outside of Houston. This year, we’ve worked with consultants from Los Angeles, filmmakers from Paris, students from Austin, and many others. There’s nothing quite so inspiring as seeing other people with no personal connection to Venezuela give so much.

We’re expecting 2018 to bring many more of those awesome people. Contact us if you want to be one of them!

Our supporters

Turns out, our fellow Houstonians have big hearts for Venezuelans. Throughout the year, different groups approached us eager and ready to help us. From organizing collection drives to serving as volunteers, their spirit and kindness helped us reach even more Venezuelans.

Notable Campaigns Volunteers Saludos in the Media

Notable Campaigns

V Santi Eduardo Sury.JPG — Church Communities

Two brothers, celebrating their First Communion, decided to donate all of their gifts to us instead. From the Woodlands, a church group held a breakfast to meet the Saludos team and gather funds and support. And Venezuelan Parroquia Virtual organized a special mass in support of Saludos, bringing medicine for us to send.

Exatec HOU.jpg — Exatec Houston

The Exatec Houston community generously held a donation drive to collect needed medicine for children in Venezuela. Gracias!

V Katherine.JPG — Texas Doctors

Doctors all over Texas donated many boxes of their extra supplies, including a group of doctors from Odessa as well as local Susana Porras and Fernando Boccalandro.

Human Rights Club
(Bellaire High School)

Students from the Bellaire High School Human Rights Club not only helped us sort and pack supply boxes, but also started a fundraiser selling study books to donate to us.

MB flowers — In Memoriam

We also have some extraordinary donors, whom we thank as well as their families for their donations. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

Volunteers

Saludos in the Media

General donors

And of course, a big gracias to our general donors who kept us going with their incredible generosity. With their help and more, we managed to raise over $25,000 for humanitarian aid in Venezuela!

Our work

Big plans for 2017

Looking back, we accomplished even more than we could have imagined. Seventeen events, around 1000 guests, and medical aid to reach more than 3000 Venezuelans, we have only just begun.

Partner Profiles Shipments Events

Partner Profiles

SOS Somos Portuguesa

A grassroots nonprofit organization started in response to the Venezuelan crisis. Based in the rural state of Portuguesa, they take care of children in the many poor rural villages. On weekends, they carry out medical missions in these villages that would otherwise not have access to any medical treatment. We send them gloves, syringes, and medicine for kids. We also purchased a car suited for the roads to reach the hundreds of villages they serve.

Hospital Ortopédico Infantil

A renowned orthopedic nonprofit hospital in Caracas, Venezuela. Started over sixty years ago, today they take care of thousands of patients from all over Venezuela. They perform orthopedic surgeries, odontologic operations, and other treatments. We send them surgical tools, skin dressings, and orthopedic supports for their operations.

Shipments by the Numbers

Over the counter medicine for 2,571 people

We sent 2,571 containers of over the counter medicine to treat people.
These include analgesics, antihistamines, rehydration solutions, and vitamins.

rx med.png — Prescription medicine for 501 people

We sent 501 containers of prescription medicine to treat people.
These include antibiotics, bronchodilators, and others.

Medical supplies for 697 people

We sent 697 containers of supplies to treat people.
These include syringes, gloves, masks, antiseptics, surgical blades, sutures, catheters, bandages, and tubes.

Events

Concierto 1.jpg — Concierto con Jorge Polanco

More than 200 guests attended our benefit concert by Jorge Polanco, featuring classic Venezuelan pieces. It was a great start to our most event-filled year yet.

Mother's Day Saludos Bazaar

More than 150 guests and 30 vendors from all over Houston gathered to support communities in Venezuela in honor of mothers. For our second bazaar, we had both many old and new faces!

Corona 2.JPG — *Te dejo la corona*

Around 100 guests attended the night show *Te dejo la corona* by Venezuelan 4X4 Producciones. The actresses came all the way from Caracas, Venezuela to share their piece in benefit of our humanitarian efforts. Chef Omar Pereney, Bielina's Catering, and ClickEvents helped us organize and provide food for the events. Keep an eye out for this up and coming artist group.

Guests listening to Dr. Himiob.JPG — Encuentro con Dr. Himiob

A group of 40 guests attended the screening and discussion of *The Embrace of the Serpent* led by Dr. Gonzalo Himiob. The discussion followed cultural narratives in the film that are applicable to the situation in Venezuela today.

V varios.JPG — Panafest

The Panafest was an open invitation to our volunteers and supporters to meet and get to know each other. Most of the time we’re working, so this was about growing closer as a team. Surprisingly, new members showed up and enjoyed it all the same!

EDO 1.jpg — Encuentro con EDO

More than 30 guests attended the discussion with EDO on the culture and significance of the humor in his graphic work. Humor is an important aspect of Venezuelan culture, and EDO Ilustrado explained how his work plays with this.

HfV 5.JPG — Houston for Venezuelans

More than 200 guests attended the cultural celebration of Venezuelan food, art, and music in collaboration with Literal Magazine and Patricia Gras to support humanitarian efforts in Venezuela. Thanks to the artists Grupo Tarraya and Shekere Latin Band, and the food vendor Gusto Gourmet for helping with this event.

Venezuela Night with the Skeeters

We partnered with the Sugar Land Skeeters baseball team to invite others to enjoy both Venezuela’s and the USA’s favorite pastime on a Friday night. Not only that, we received 50% of the ticket sales for humanitarian aid in Venezuela!

SSP Encuentro.JPG — Encuentro con Maria Alejandra Ramos

Around 45 of our supporters came to meet and hear the story of Maria Alejandra Ramos, the founder of our primary partner SOS Somos Portuguesa. It was quite an inspiring experience to hear the stories firsthand of their work with children in Portuguesa.

Royal STEM.JPG — Houston Strong

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, we teamed up with Covencargo and Literal Magazine to seek out donations for affected Houstonians. We managed to collect supplies that we sent to the families of Royal STEM Academy in Fulshear. Last year, they donated food and medicine to Saludos, so we took the opportunity to give back this time!

Bucher 3.JPG — Taking Up Venezuela

One of our biggest undertakings so far, we held six events across institutions in Texas to screen and discuss the documentary Women of the Venezuelan Chaos by Margarita Cadenas. Leslie and Brad Bucher generously hosted our official launch event in their amazing space. With this, we managed to reach more than 600 people with the story of Venezuela and Saludos.

HBaz 2.jpg — Holiday Saludos Bazaar

Our third Saludos Bazaar was our best yet! Over 300 guests came to browse 32 vendor tables, feast on 415 hallacas, and change the lives of Venezuelans. With the money raised, we sent 12 boxes of supplies and $500 worth of coloring books and crayons to the children of Portuguesa. Just in time for Christmas!

Looking ahead

Nothing would have prepared us for the seventeen events we held in 2017. So many people reached out and came together for Venezuelans. We are working hard on our next set of activities, and we could not be more excited for you to join us in our mission to bring health to Venezuelans.