by Henrietta Haines
Many of you will recall an initiative begun within Subud California in 2017, which raised funds to purchase and ship food directly to Subud members in Venezuela. It has been a great hope of mine that the funds left over after the program could no long send food to our sisters and brothers in Venezuela would be used for survival needs in Ukraine.
For those who may not know the background, these donations came about when many of us heard and were touched by the story of a Venezuelan Subud Sister’s experience of seeing the life she had grown up with disappear. She shared with us the sadness of cultural loss and the sorrow of watching as people grew physically unable to find food.
When I first heard her story, I was in the lovely Northern California church where our group did latihan. The contrast was inconceivable. Within a mile I could have secured enough food in an hour to fill every square inch of my car, feed us all and give away the rest so that everyone there would have had enough to feed their families too. It was an overwhelming feeling that we must do something to ease the suffering.
Our group agreed that we would donate money and use it to send food. As more members across Subud California learned about it, and as we learned how to ship directly to Subud members in Venezuela for distribution, the project grew. In the end we sent tons of staples such as rice, beans and dried milk, and at Christmas, chocolates to allay the sadness and loss they were feeling.
Unfortunately, when a society loses its structure, so many things that were taken for granted get lost. Over time the roads we used for delivery became dangerous and eventually we were no longer able to send truckloads of food through the streets of Caracas. Also, many of our members left Venezuela to become refugees in other South American counties. Fortunately, all funds not used for food and shipping have been kept safe.
Now, a pathway for them to reach the Ukraine has been created through SDIA (Susila Dharma International Association), which has been supporting the needs of Ukrainians members and their families. We are so grateful to be able to redirect these funds to their efforts.
Thank you to all the members who made donations to the Special Fund for Venezuela. That generosity now continues to have a humanitarian impact as part of a committed community supporting our sisters and brothers in another war zone, in another part of the world.