Educational intervention for youth at-risk for HD

In 2022, we expanded the efforts to more youth at risk for Huntington's disease in Venezuela - between the ages of 3-18, we have now identified and are assisting 348 children living in conditions of extreme vulnerability. As we expanded our door-to-door efforts to identify and characterize the living conditions of all children at-risk for the disease in San Luis and Barranquitas, Venezuela, we were able to enroll and assist more children & adolescents. 

Assisted by 59 volunteers, we conducted 12 events with the kids to foster their academic education and conducted workshops to learn a trade. As most of the teenagers from the town of Barranquitas do not go to school, we continued our efforts to provide them with training opportunities to learn a trade, either mechanic/electrical training, or sewing. A total of 61 youth participated. In addition, we conducted microfinancing workshops for young women.

We also continued with our psychological program to assist youth, instructed by our clinical psychologist in Venezuela. In 2022, 7 teenagers were trained to manage group sessions, who are now expanding our efforts to reach more adolescents in both San Luis and Barranquitas. In addition, our psychologist also met with individual children and their parents or legal guardian, to assist them with the kid's mental health issues due to poverty and the coexistence of the disease in their families. In total, 81 children and youth were assisted in biweekly meetings that took place during the entire 2022 year.

Twice a year, the kids in the program received materials to foster their education - books, writing pads, coloring books, backpacks etc. We also conducted Christmas events for all the children in December 2022.

A full annual report will be available in March 2023 at the Factor-H website