Bitcoin Charity Action for Venezuela

I am worried about the ongoing hyperinflation in Venezuela and the situation people have to struggle with. Therefore I am supporting this charity christmas-initiative for a young man „Leon“ and his family, who become my friend of mine as I worked with him on a blockchain project. You might wonder how life is down in South America? Strange, very strange, but who knows if the same could also happen to Europe, the US and Asia, too.

Hyperinflation

When the rise of prices destroys life hope. Imagine, what if a Big Mac Menu would cost you half of an average monthly income? What if it would cost you 10 years of your income to repair your old notebook, but you need it to generate income. What if you just can survive by buying and selling old stuff on the streets, because your salary is much to less to buy food (which most of the time do not exist in any supermarkets). Those who have money doesn`t have. The cash-machine would not give it to you. And the only things which are left, are expensive cookies and snacks, which cost you the same you would have to pay for a car (just some years ago). Bitcoin gives us the decentralized possibility to collect some small change, which will be a big help for Leon and his family. Even we are not able to help the full country, we can use christmas time to collect some funds on this charity action and symbolize that Bitcoin has the power to change the world little by little. Thank you, for your support: BTC address: 3P7K6agBsy2WXPMWC8JsAwZhYJM2xcpadv

This is the story of Leon and his family from Venezuela:

When I was young, I always thought I will grow up in full freedom. I had a great youth and my mom and dad also thought I will live in a generation of a bright future. Well, life here in Venezuela was never really easy and I always fantasized to leave the country one day and work abroad - but in my early days this had been just fantasies and far away future plans. So when I was young, I was used to live my life here with my friends and in the past I also had hope that things could change to a positive side. So I stayed and spent some years, even I always had to struggle with situation getting more and more complicated in this country. After school I had several jobs, but I knew that times would get more hard, so I studied in the evening lessons for 8 years at university.

Some years ago it was not easy but for now it sounds like good old times

 I used a car to go to work, which was already 20 years old. But as long it took my feeds life was relatively normal. I can remember, when I started with my fist job, I was so happy when I got my first salary. I started to saved money for a life abroad and I saved almost local currency in worth of 8000 dollar, but then hyperinflation changed everything here. Quickly, daily things got more complicated and more expensive here. It was more hard to find a well payed job and my local money did not took my legs as far they would have done before. I can remember, when a ex-boss told me: „boy, you have to save everything in USD, it is dangerous to hold it in Bs - try to get out of here as long you are able to“. I was confused, because everyone is used to have paper money and money on bank accounts (like people in the US or in the EU do it as well). While working on my university career all goods went extremely expensive here. For a while my cars engine was struggling, but I was not able to cover the costs to repair my old car. Later on I was not able to use my car anymore and I had to sell it for 50000 bs, which was quite some money at this time when 30l of petrol was at a price of just 5Bs. Later a simple bus ticket to work was 120Bs and as long my daughter was under 6 years old I had the dream, to save enough for 2 flight tickets and to get a free one for her as well. But the money I got for the car I sold years ago, now wouldn`t be enough to buy a single wheel nowadays. Even I tried to execute my plans to buy a plane ticket and to escape this nightmare, something crazy happened referring to my future plans. I felt in love with a young woman, who is my wife now. We soon got a baby (my daughter) and life as a family was wonderful, even I know the situation is not getting more easy and the plan to get out of the country would go more far away. I thought, if I graduate from University I would earn more money by doing better and working more long. I had the hope to give my family a good life by working hard and being a good person, but everything here went worse. The economy went down, crime went up. I tried to make the best out of the problematically situation, but then everything went crazy: I personally improved on the level I am working. I graduated from university (audiovisual media) and worked in several jobs as a graphic designer and a journalist. I am often working more than 12 hours daily on several small side-jobs to bring in the money my family needs to buy the food to live. Even sometimes I work as hard to earn 5 times the minimum salary people get payed in the country (and I earn sometimes more than 100 USD per month) it`s not enough to save any money.  Most of the time it is not enough to pay for ordinary things of life, even most things are sold out and nobody is importing goods into the country. They now closed the borders to the neighbor countries, most of paper money is not accepted any more and the ATM will not give you the money you need for your daily life. Some people used to buy food from Amazon to let it deliver to Venezuela, but now nothing like that works any more. You can not send anything to Venezuela, you can not carry anything on the streets, you will not be able to buy necessary goods in stores, nothing is normal here.  

Living in a nightmare

Imagine a life, when the money you are carrying to supermarket is more heavy in weight than the goods you can buy with it. Imagine a world you have to spent 6 years of savings to buy 1 kg of meet. Imagine a world you can not afford the rent of your flat anymore and you have to live with your family at the house of your mother in law (7 people) because there is no other option. Now you need 50 paper sheets worth of 100 Bs to have a lunch. Every day you need a bundle of 100 pieces 100Bs notes, just for daily life. All the money we ever saved - hyperinflation all took it away! Now I am 37 years old and I can remember which dreams I had and that I missed a life in freedom (not to fight day for day) within the last 18 years of my life. I do not expect that people would collect funds which would take me out of that country. But maybe you can help to make life a little more easy here. 1 Bitcoin is now more than 2,5 Mio Bs worth. I wished I had known about it around 2010. Then I would have enough to reach one of my neighbor countries, even the government wants to stop people from using it. Even I earn about 50000 Bs per month. Things are getting more and more expensive here and the way out of here is nearly impossible. If I would not have sold my 20 years old car it would be worth 5 Mio. Bs now - that would be the ticket to get out of here. But I could not imagine that things could go that crazy way - I am sure you know what I mean. What I am telling you is: I am professional and earn 50000 Bs per month, but I would not be able to buy a car or something again, which would cost more than 5 Mio now. I just payed for a kilo of meat at the supermarket what I earned 6 years of work per month, but in spite of that, I just realized that all the money I saved to leave the country is gone with the hyperinflation. Venezuela is not the same country it was 18 years from now. Even it is the same social cultural political situation, daily routine is sometimes like in a bad drama movie. Even my dreams of a better life anywhere else in the world are far away now, I still have the hope, that some good people out there in web, read my story and help me and my family in this situation. The good thing was, that I never had a really lot on the bank account and I now do not have much things anyone can steal. But if I would had transferred my Bs to Dollars or better Bitcoin years ago, I would have escape this nightmare. Meanwhile me and my wife we are almost married for 10 years and my sweet daughter is going to school. But to manage the situation of hyperinflation, when prices start to rise day by day, but your income does not increase that much and you spend all your savings just on simple things of daily life - I can tell you that`s really freaking crazy! Im am now working for several month on a very small blockchain project as an graphical assistant. Even there is not that large budget, which let me escape from this situation I am feeling hope. I am following cryptocurrency and I really think there is so much potential to change things on our world to the positive side. And it really would be great if some of you could afford some little change tips for me and my family. Best wishes, thank you very much and have a nice Christmas time, Leon PS: I use this medium to convey the life story of any Venezuelan to the rest of the world. I wish all the best to you and your family. You can support this charity action by sending Bitcoin to our charity address. If you are new in the bitcoin space, check out websites like „coinbase.com“, where you can buy Bitcoin within some minutes. Keep most, and spend a little change - it is a small coin for you, but it`s worth much more for me. Thanks a lot and happy christmas and new years eve time!  BTC address: 3P7K6agBsy2WXPMWC8JsAwZhYJM2xcpadv