The humanitarian emergency in Venezuela puts women’s health and women’s lives at risk everywhere in the public space.
Eva, a 28-year old mother of two, found out she was pregnant in February 2019. “There was no contraception available, I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant” she said. Eva currently lives in La Vega, Caracas without regular access to running water, electricity or gas. “Being a pregnant woman in this country is very difficult,” she adds.
Eva gave birth to a baby girl in one of Caracas’ main hospitals. “I gave birth by C-section, however, the anesthesia was not working or was insufficient, I could feel intense pain throughout the whole procedure,” she said. Eva was released from hospital on the day following her C-section due to shortage of water and lack of appropriate conditions for patients, even though the official medical protocol indicates that patients should stay in hospital for at least three to four days after the procedure.
“It is a difficult situation, because as a pregnant woman or a woman with a small baby, you need access to clean water to drink or to wash your baby’s clothes”, Eva says.
