Rotary e-Club of Houston Rotarians Saving Venezuelan Refugees

Cristal Montañéz-Baylor, a member of the Rotary e-Club of Houston in our Rotary District 5890, has a featured story in the July 22, 2021 "Rotary Voices", which is Rotary International's Blog that shares stories of service from around the world.

Cristal serves as the International Coordinator for Hope for Venezuelan Refugees, a pilot project led by her Rotary e-Club of Houston, District 5890 International Committee in partnership with Rise Against Hunger (RAH), Rotary Cucuta, Diócesis de Cúcuta Banco Diocesano de Alimentos, and eight beneficiaries organizations, is saving and changing lives.

Working tirelessly for years to help the refugees fleeing to Colombia because of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Cristal, and her colleagues, responded by distributing meals and supplies needed for protection against COVID. When grant money stopped, she continued her response, but can now only offer soup and, she wishes, some hope to the refugees.

At the recent Women Leader's at the United Nations webinar - The Front Line of Change: Women Leaders and the United Nations, Cristal was a featured speaker and shared a brief story of this project. To hear her 5-minute presentation, please click here. To hear all the remarkable key women leaders from 14 countries, like Cristal, that are actively helping change the world with their projects, click here)

The pilot project aims to help alleviate hunger and improve the condition of malnutrition of 5,580 Venezuelan refugees per day by providing meals to the existing aid distribution centers that are preparing and serving meals to these refugees in the city of Cúcuta. Our project helps to promote peace “When people no longer need to fight over food, peace will reign.”

To read the "Rotary Voices" about this life-saving projects, please click here to learn more.