Next-Generation & Education

Support young academics in Venezuela!

The research laboratory on pediatric cancers where I work closed in 2022, and we found ourselves with used but perfectly usable supplies. To avoid needless waste, my boss, the University of Lausanne’s biology and medicine faculty deanship (FBM), as well as the CHUV agreed for part of the equipment, were it «broken», used, expired, or pre-used, to be given to Venezuela’s University of Carabobo. These supplies will be used thereby for Life Science students from the Biology faculty, and practical experiments in biomedical analyses by medicine students!

Thanks to my boss’, my colleagues’, and the institutions’ generosity and benevolence, I filled 18 huge boxes of humanitarian lab supplies (which amounts to around 10’000 CHF of brand new equipment). It’s AMAZING!!!

Next, I will need to send all these supplies to Venezuela. However, shipping costs are neither covered by my lab, UNIL or CHUV, it’s why I need you!

To send all the boxes in a humanitarian container in the best possible conditions to Venezuela, I need to collect 3’500 CHF. I’ll have to send the shipment by boat, in order to use the most affordable option, while still having to pay customs fees once it arrives. Shipment is planned at the beginning of 2023, given that my lab’s premises were emptied end of 2022.

I invested hours of work, energy, and all my love in this project. I have found reliable people in Venezuela, to be assured that the supplies would be used long-term by students, and I’m convinced this will significantly help young Venezuelan academics. Now, I need YOU! Your help will aid me in providing a better formation, which will, in turn, help my native country.

Thank you for your support!

What defines this project’s uniqueness?

There are no projects helping young academics in Venezuela.

While here, in Switzerland, we tend to throw still usable and brand-new supplies away. Venezuelan scientists and students don’t have this luxury. In October of 2022, I had the opportunity to go to Venezuela. I went to visit the campus and met the dean of the Biology faculty at Carabobo’s University, I also talked to some professors and Bachelor students.

There, I realized how much everything is lacking! They still managed to find creative ways to answer those supply issues, but even creativity has its limits. Since there is no support for young Venezuelan academics, this dramatically hurts Venezuela’s future.

Through this project, you will have the opportunity to support students, professors, and Carabobo University. Not only will you allow perfectly usable research supplies to get a second life, but this equipment will, most importantly, give students new and improved classes, thus allowing many generations of future doctors and life science engineers.

For this internationally spanning project, «Tinaja», my Venezuelan popular music family’s band, supports me for backers’ rewards because we are convinced of this project’s importance, aiming to help young academics in Venezuela.

Why helping me ?

I initiated this campaign because I need your help to ship the supplies gathered in my lab to Venezuela.

Supporting this project will allow hundreds of students to feel seen, supported, and recognized in their formation and careers. Finally, this will only encourage them to pursue their curriculum, despite the many challenges they already have to face daily, and thus guarantee their implication in Venezuela’s future.

As you know, Venezuela has been traumatized by more than a decade of political, economic, and social crises, which has had an enormous toll on the population, including the school system in a broad sense (from primary school to university level).

The 3’500 CHF amount needed includes the following:

• The shipping of the supplies from Switzerland to Venezuela: 2’800 CHF
• Estimate of the customs fees for the supplies in Venezuela: 300 CHF
• Fees related to the wemakeit platform and counterparties: 400 CHF

If we collect more funds, we could organize workshops, classes, practical exercises, or mentoring to extend our support to students’ careers. We could plan another shipment next year, and if you have scientific supplies to give, they desperately need new centrifuges, microscopes, and heat blocks. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have such a supply.

Thank you wholeheartedly for your support!