Venezuelan actress Elba Escobar in London shows to aid charity

Venezuelan actress Elba Escobar is bringing her highly-acclaimed one-woman comedy show to the Chelsea Theatre in Kings Road, London, on February 17 and 18 to raise money for the UK-based Venezuelan children's charity CHAMOS.

The play is a monologue in Spanish on the ups and downs of married life from a Venezuelan woman's perspective and is teasingly entitled "Mi Marido es un Cornudo" ("My Husband is a Cuckold").

This is a rare opportunity to see one of Venezuela's most popular and engaging actresses performing in the UK.
With only 110 seats for each performance you should book early to avoid disappointment.
Escobar has appeared in countless Venezuelan movies and soap operas over the years, including knockabout comedies such as "Cóctel de Camarones, en el Día de la Secretaria" and hard-hitting black comedies like "Secuestro Express". 
The event is being organized by CHAMOS, a not-for-profit UK charity that aims to improve the living standards of the most deprived children in Venezuela, whether living in urban or rural areas, or in indigenous communities.

CHAMOS has no political or religious affiliation, and all funds raised through volunteer work are used to financially support NGO’s working in Venezuela.

Tickets are priced £30 and are on sale now. You can pay by either: 1) Electronic tranference to HSBC Bank, Sort Code 40-07-30 Account No. 11891677 CHAMOS, Reference: "Mi Marido es un Cornudo"; Or 2) Send a cheque payable to CHAMOS c/o 19 Earls Terrace, London, W8 6LP.
For more details visit the home page of CHAMOS or email chamosukcharity@googlemail.com or janinbarbozaf@yahoo.com.
 
One of the Venezuelan charities supported by CHAMOS is the Hogar Santa Ana in Maracaibo, which feeds over 150 children every day. CHAMOS were able recently to provide colourful new tables and chairs for the dining area, which can be seen in this short video highlighting the fantastic work being done at Hogar Santa Ana:

Veniños: Round-USA cycling challenge for Venezuelan street children

On 1 March 2008, Lisa Tylee set off on the challenge of a lifetime when she left Houston, Texas, to embark on a 9,000-mile cycling tour round the USA to raise money for Venezuelan street and shantytown children.

If all goes to plan she should be arriving back in Houston in October.

"Cycle Challenge USA 2008 / Bici Sin Rodilla" is a huge physical ordeal for anybody to attempt, but for Lisa it will be especially gruelling as she will be doing it with just one foot pushing the pedals of her specially-adapted bike, because she was born without a knee in her left leg.

It's already been challenging. Lisa celebrated her 40th birthday on 4 March after cycling in driving rain and a night in a grotty motel. But as Jane Blake, a trustee of the charity says, it can only get better.

Her circular route will pass through 24 US states and Washington D.C. and will take Lisa through freezing mountain ranges and hot deserts as she pedals "from sea to shining sea."


It will be a far cry from the conditions in her native Caversham, a small, sleepy town on the banks of the Thames River in Berkshire.

But it won't be the first time Lisa has endured a gruelling physical adventure to raise money for charity.

In 2005, she walked the length of the United Kingdom, from Lands End in England to John O'Groats in Scotland. The 1,300 mile walk took her 4 months to complete and raised over 10,000 pounds.

Lisa, a co-founder of the charity Veninos (Venezuelan Children In Need), is undertaking her latest challenge to raise money for community education projects in Venezuela and as a way to increase awareness of Veninos' work to improve the life of urban street and shantytown children.

In 2000 she was honoured for her charity work in Venezuela by Queen Elizabeth II, who awarded her with an MBE (Member of the British Empire).

Lisa will be cycling an average of 50 miles a day during "Cycle Challenge USA 2008 / Bici Sin Rodilla" and will spend at least 171 days on her bike.

The journey will take her to: Houston - Miami - Washington DC - Baltimore - Philadelphia - New York City - Pittsburgh - Cleveland - (Cincinnati) - Chicago - Denver - Salt Lake City - San Francisco - Los Angeles - San Diego - Las Vegas - Oklahoma City - (Tulsa) - Dallas - Austin - Houston.

Events will take place en route and Lisa is hoping to be able to speak to the local press, schools, corporate and community groups in all of the places she stops.

Veninos is a non-political, non-religious UK-based charity that is also registered as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organisation in the USA.

Lisa can be sponsored by visiting: http://www.firstgiving.com/cycleusa2008 in the USA or www.justgiving.com/veninos in the UK.

For more details of how to support Lisa or to learn more about Veninos visit: http://www.veninos.org

Veniños charity fun-run - Hyde Park 16 September

To see the after party video click here

Veniños Hyde Park fun-run Venezuelan after party

Ivan and Mario from Orquesta La Guachafita delighted the crowds in Hyde Park on 16 September at the Veniños fun-run after party.
It was a great way to wind down after a 5km-run to raise money for Veniños' charity work in Venezuela for street and shantytown kids. Over 20,000 women took part in the Hyde Park run. But few enjoyed such an autochtonous musical experience.
Shame about the wind spoiling the audio in places...

To see the photos of the fun run click here