Salto: New Lives for Venezuelans

We are giving new lives to people who are escaping Venezuela. My name is Guido Núñez-Mujica. I am a Venezuelan biologist, from Mérida a college town in the Andes Mountains, but these days I work as a data scientist . Over the past decade, I saw first-hand how corruption and social unrest left Venezuela impoverished, violent, and unstable. Today, jobs have disappeared, hyperinflation has pushed over 80 percent of households into poverty , and starvation has consumed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent children . An average Venezuelan college professor now makes a meager $0.33 a day; the international standard for poverty is $2. I changed careers so I could help not only my friends and family, but also anyone else who needs it using my salary.  Last year I helped 22 people leave Venezuela and rebuild their lives in 7 countries. They included academics, designers, engineers, and more. They came from all walks of life and regions of the country. But this is not about me. The Salto Project arose from a common desire to help the world’s least fortunate. Our team is one of entrepreneurs, academics, consultants, and other successful professionals from all walks of life. From Yale-educated nonprofit founders to Venezuelan biologists, we are committed to laying the groundwork to rebuild the fabric of Venezuelan society in the future. Salto provides micro-sponsorships that help individuals leave Venezuela and rebuild their lives abroad. Our sponsorships take many forms: funding to cover transit out of the country, temporary housing in new destinations, connections to find jobs, immigration lawyer referrals, psychological assistance, and more. Our process is highly personalized – we spend many hours designing and executing an exit strategy for every person. This year, our goal is to help at least 52 people -- one per week -- as well as formalize an outreach program that amplifies our footprint in Venezuela and helps us open new locations in other countries. We cannot do this alone – please help us assist generations of trapped Venezuelans by contributing to our campaign. We will provide regular updates on our efforts to our supporters. We hope this campaign will be the start of something even greater – an initial funding round that helps us grow and touch the lives of thousands more Venezuelans in the years to come. Interested in corporate sponsorships or non-financial assistance? Please contact us at [email redacted] FAQ What is your relationship or contact to the parties you're raising funds for. Most of the people we help contact us using our website, we have no previous relationship to them. Some others are my relatives and friends. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible) The funds will pay for the rent of an apartment in Santiago where we temporarily house Venezuelan immigrants and for bus tickets and plane tickets from the border with Colombia to different destinations. We do not send money directly to Venezuela. In order to send the money we use wire transfer services like Western Union or RIA. Your withdrawal plan to get the funds from the campaign to the ultimate beneficiary Transfers via WU or RIA to Cúcuta or Maicao, or sending emergency funds to whoever needs it.