CDP Week of Gratitude: The Wayuu Taya Foundation

This week, as people across the United States look forward to a day of giving thanks, CDP is highlighting a small number of stories of impact and expressing our gratitude to a few partners and donors who have made the work we do possible.

Impact Partner: The Wayuu Taya Foundation

In April, CDP provided a $100,000 grant to the Wayuu Taya Foundation for their Recovery & Rebuild Program. This program leverages support from several international organizations to improve access to food, health care, water and sanitation and livelihoods for the most vulnerable communities in the Indigenous region along the northern Venezuelan-Colombian border.

One villager commented: “Very few people come to our community and do something for the people here. I am overjoyed to see such a great initiative in our village. There are so many health problems here, and we have nowhere to turn to. The Wayuu Taya Foundation has given us new hope. I am very happy and hopeful that this program will bring positive changes to our village.”

Wayuu Taya Foundation president and founder, Patricia Velasquez, noted, “Thanks to the contributions made by CDP, thousands of children have been saved from malnourishment by receiving meals and protein drinks. CDP has also provided Wayuu Taya with the ability to acquire a well that will allow the members of the community to have access to clean water and help create sustainability.

“Thanks to CDP, Wayuu Taya has been able to distribute PPE for medical personnel and masks for thousands of children, oximeters, sanitizer gels and many other needed supplies on the border between Venezuela and Colombia.

“We are so grateful for our partnership with CDP that is saving thousands of lives and bringing back hope to the unprivileged Indigenous communities in Venezuela.”

Sally Ray, CDP’s director of strategic initiatives, shared, “Though the situation along the border here is dire during the COVID-19 Pandemic due to lack of health infrastructure and government inaction, and though many international organizations struggle to work here, the Wayuu Taya Foundation has built on 18 years of work in these communities to establish trust. We are grateful for their strategic work in addressing the growing needs of Indigenous communities in Venezuela.”