00:05Welcome back. East of the Venezuelan capital, in the Petare Parish, Miranda State,
00:10residents of the El Gran San Blas commune are transforming their neighborhood through self-management.
00:16It is Venezuela on the move.
00:19Petare is located in the eastern part of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela,
00:24one of the most popular working-class neighborhoods in Latin America.
00:28This street leads to a state-supported neighborhood self-management system, the commune.
00:36Upon arriving at Sector 1, Matapalo, the dynamic is clear.
00:43More than 6,000 residents directly plan this site
00:47and implement the improvements their neighborhood needs.
00:55What is now a meeting place for children and senior citizens was a very different place not long ago.
01:07This was a dump. It was a chubby playground because it didn't have everything we had at our own playground.
01:14It didn't have that ball court for our senior citizens. And we didn't have the healthy playground.
01:20We didn't have the small playground for the children. We had a clinic that was also completely abandoned and in
01:27ruins.
01:27We managed to get housing, a community center, self-government and a new healthcare facility and a kindergarten.
01:36In the self-government hall, a renovated space, local equipment are being documented and preparations are underway for the second
01:44national consultation on October 18th.
01:48Here, the actual impact of each project elected by the assembly is being evaluated.
01:58There have been 10 projects and now the 11th is underway. What we did was hold the assemblies where the
02:05residents themselves outlined their most important needs.
02:09As you can see here, this consultation had significant impact since many families didn't have a kitchen, others didn't have
02:17a bed and many needed medication.
02:20Just familiar from the sports field, the renovation of the Heal of a Clinic ensures free medical care in the
02:28area.
02:31Thanks to this wonderful achievement, now we have pediatric care and childhood vaccinations.
02:37We now have pediatric, ureatrics, cardiology and gynecology, which is essential for women today.
02:44Since going to a private doctor can sometimes be a little expensive.
02:49At least here, we have this outpatient clinic in the Grand San Blas community, with all its services provided free
02:56of charge.
02:57Yes, free for the women, children and teenagers in our community.
03:03The renovation of the Matapalos sports field include a children's playground, an outdoor gym, a multipurpose room and a police
03:12station.
03:13These projects doubled sports activity in the area.
03:17The facilities have had a huge impact on attendance.
03:21I can tell you that before, there were only 20 to 30 athletes.
03:26Today, we're working with around 60 to 80 athletes daily from each of the clubs.
03:32In fact, we're currently working on the schedule to establish specific times because there are several sports disciplines and attendance
03:40is very high.
03:43This is a joint effort between the community and local government, with all the people who support us in the
03:49sport.
03:50I have a school for children aged five and up through the open division.
03:56Here, we are trying to replace the street, the parrot, the phone, the squid with a football.
04:03I believe that bringing all these children and the community together is essential.
04:10The impact of the consultation also reached residential homes.
04:15In the San Blas corridor, 95 facades were restored and roof were installed on 85 homes, a priority for families
04:24in the area.
04:26When they hadn't yet put a roof over my head, I was in the water day and night when it
04:31was raining.
04:32That was good, well, what can I say?
04:34And since they put a roof over my head, thank God I can sleep more peacefully when it rains.
04:40It's fine if it rains, let it pour as much as it wants because I don't get wet.
04:45When we share together, we feel grateful because our neighbors are our family.
04:50With the opening of new self-government chambers and the coordinated work of five communal councils,
04:58Grand San Blas is consolidating its territorial management, a model of direct planning
05:04where the community itself sets its priorities ahead of the second national consultation on October 18th.
