At the age of seven I was forced to leave my beautiful country Venezuela because of the danger and instability in the country. I am now 17 years old and I haven’t gone back since. However, this goes further than just the past ten years.

Venezuela has been in a dictatorship for the past 27 years by the dictator Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez, whose regime has devastated the country and its institutions, having forced over nine million Venezuelans to flee. Venezuela used to be one of the richest countries in its region until Chavismo came into power in 1998. Chavismo is a political party leaning far left or socialist in Venezuela which started in 1992. One of the leaders of this political party was the previous dictator of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, and later his handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro. 

To really put into perspective what Chavez and Maduro did to the country, poverty soared to extreme levels, at times affecting around 90% of the population as stated in The National Institute of Health. The government has repressed its people by shutting down protests, jailing opponents, killing students in the streets and prosecuting activists. Many young children have been jailed. Today, around 1,000 political prisoners are systemically mistreated. Democratic institutions have been dismantled and independent media silenced, there’s no free newspaper and no independent television stations. My own mother was a journalist in Venezuela so it’s very shocking for her. The country has been left with severe shortages of food, medicine and basic services, marking one of the darkest chapters in Venezuela’s history. 

Many people believe the actions taken on Jan. 3, the bombings in Caracas, were ‘bad’ and an act of terrorism, but I hope from the information I have provided one can see that this issue isn’t as black and white as it seems. 

One crucial thing to remember is that Venezuelans have fought for their freedom for a very long time. An important figure in this fight for justice and freedom is Maria Corina Machado, an influential advocator who led a movement to have free elections in Venezuela. She and her team worked tirelessly for fair electoral conditions as they organized and trained hundreds of people to protect the vote and verify tallies and mobilized people across the country with virtually no funding, traveling from town to town speaking and building hope through presence rather than resources. Her campaign became a powerful symbol of civic resistance and collective courage. They managed to prove they won the election in 2024 to the world with nearly 70% of the votes. Many of the people who worked in the movement were in jail and tortured or they are in exile. Corina’s striking actions and sacrifices eventually led Corina to win the Nobel prize. Their victory was never recognized and the people who were in the movement were sent to jail. But still Maria Corina’s leadership stands as a powerful example in an increasingly authoritarian world. 

When the United States removed Maduro from power, it was seen by the vast majority of Venezuelans as a lifeline, like a rescue thrown to someone drowning in an open sea after years of hunger, repression and exile in fear. People finally felt that the nightmare might be ending. What Venezuelans want now is not just the fall of a dictatorship, but a true democratic transition. The United States must help ensure that power is transferred to the legitimate Democratic leader, Maria Corina Machado, who represents the will of the people in the possibility of rebuilding a free nation. This is not just a political movement as it is a matter of survival, dignity and justice for an entire country. 

Even though Venezuela has faced many hardships, I will always carry the most wonderful memories of my country, a place of warmth and joy. Where there was always a reason to celebrate and where parties would last for 10 hours. Where even in the hardest moments there’s always room for laughter and smiles. Most of my family are still there, my cousins, my extended family and my beautiful abuela. All I want is for my country to recover and for them to rebuild their lives and to feel hope again. 

I hope that one day I too can return and feel the rays of the Venezuela sun on my skin once again.