For tiniest victims of Venezuela crisis, a lifeline is at hand

There is no shortage of humanitarian disasters right now — Syria, South Sudan, Yemen. But closer to home, a profound and crippling political and economic crisis has been taking hold in what was once the richest country in Latin America, Venezuela. Right now, more than 8 in 10 Venezuelans live in poverty. The country lacks about 80 percent of basic medical supplies, and items such as antibiotics and insulin are hard to come by. Severe food shortages have left babies severely malnourished, or even dying. Infant mortality soared 30 percent last year, while maternal mortality jumped 66 percent, according to government figures just released. Children have missed school due to hunger. The South American country now has the highest inflation in the world, estimated to hit 1,600 percent this year. More…