A VOICE FOR VENEZUELA

A PROJECT BY PAMELA SCHMIDT AND FORO PENAL VENEZOLANO

As a result of her work and experiences with victims of repression and political prisoners from Venezuela by the hand of Foro Penal Venezolano, Pamela Schmidt, founder of Ripple of Hope and Foro Penal Venezolano, present the exhibition "A Voice for Venezuela." The objective includes documentation of oral history narratives for social change and implementation of the art projects to generate support and advocate for human rights concerns in Venezuela for political prisoners and their families, and the refugees fleeing Venezuela. The Ripple of Hope Initiative is a universal art, oral history narrative, and educational advocacy program. It facilitates unique initiatives to raise awareness of issues faced by the marginalized and oppressed. The collective goal of each component is to generate support, develop self-sustainability, and advocate for human rights concerns in Nepal, India, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The Ripple of Hope Initiative is a multi-sensory, educational, and therapeutic initiative. The project implements and integrates emotional intelligence, human rights education, and art to support human potential through the concepts of courage, compassion, and perseverance. Foro Penal is a Non-Governmental Organization from Venezuela with more than 15 years of experience that provides pro bono legal assistance to the victims and families of arbitrary detentions that violate due process and are related to human rights violations. Foro Penal is composed of more than 200 hundred lawyers and 5,000 volunteers in Venezuela and globally.