**Expect Changes**
Day 1: Arrivals all day Arrival into Caracas, Maiquetia International Airport.
Transfer to lodging and dinner near hotel.
Day 2 Breakfast near hotel
Morning Orientation Meeting: Participant introductions; presentations by trip leaders and a review of GX codes of conduct and expectations.
Political Tour of the City: Leave for Downtown, visit Simon Bolivar's birth place, the national tomb of famous leaders, Llaguno bridge, Miraflores Presidential Palace, and Altamira Square.
Lunch Afternoon Visit with independent journalist for a overview and discussion of recent developments in Venezuela and the political rise of Hugo Chavez
Dinner View Venezuela and the Fourth World War -- excellent documentary about recent history in Venezuela, made by independent media collective Calle y Media.
Day 3: Breakfast near hotel
Morning Visit Barrio Adentro I program. Speak with program coordinator. Barrio Adentro is the Chavez-era health program that brings free community health care into poor neighborhoods, previously unserved by the traditional medical system. Cuban doctors staff most of the clinics. In exchange, Cuba receives cheaply priced oil.
Lunch
Afternoon Visit to Barrio 23 de Enero, popular poor neighborhood organized into autonomous collectives. Visit to health and educational missions in the neighborhood to see how they operate in a local context. Meet with local activists to speak about neighborhood organizing and political participation.
Dinner
Day 4: Breakfast near hotel
Morning Visit Barrio Adentro II program. Barrio Adentro II is the second phase of the community health program that provides more advanced diagnostic and surgery services to communities.
Lunch
Afternoon Meet with CATIA TV, a community based television station. While supportive of the political process, they are also critical. They are very grassroots based and amongst other things, have a program to give ordinary people of the barrio the skills to produce audiovisual materials. Dinner
Day 5: Breakfast near hotel
Morning Visit Immunology Institute at the central University of Caracas. The immunology institute engages in AIDS research and produces HIV cocktail drugs.
Lunch
Afternoon Visit children's' cardiology hospital
with very low (if any) interests rates.
Dinner
Day 6: Breakfast near hotel
Morning Primero Justicia: A civil organization that represents the opposition, who has received money from NED (National Endowment for Democracy) since 2003. They have been very involved in campaigns against the government, especially the recall referendum in 2004. They also supported the boycott of the national assembly elections in December of 2005
Afternoon Depart for Barlovento -- Lunch on the way Check In Hotel Rio Chico & Free Time
Evening Dinner and Meet Luis and Lilliana Perdoma -- Local Activists in the Afro-Venezuelan Network. Introduction on the Afro-Venezuelan Experience in Venezuela with Luis, a leader in the Afro-Venezuelan Network, hear about the healthcare challenges for the Afro-Venezuelan community.
Day 7: Breakfast at Liliana Perdoma's home
Morning Visit with practitioners of traditional medicine in the Barlovento region and see how their knowledge and services are integrated into the community healthcare system..
Lunch
Afternoon Visit To Mission Sucre, a social program named after General Antonio José de Sucre, ally of Simon Bolivar during the independence struggle. This is an education program that is similar to a community college.
Dinner at Liliana Perdoma's home
Day 8: Breakfast at Liliana Perdoma's home
Morning Visit Mango de Ocoyta: Mango is a small village in the heart of Barlovento famous for being a cumbe, an area where slaves would go to be safe. It is a place that survives primarily on cacao farming and many of the families there have organized themselves into a cacao cooperative, part of the Vuelvan Caras Mission. The government recently finished construction of a cacao processing plant there, so that they can sell not only the raw cacao but also such processed products like chocolate. When we visit there we general get a tour of the town, hear about the history, meet with cooperative members and visit a woman who make delicious products from cacao, including sweets and liquor.: We will visit a Barrio Adentro free medical clinic, and see how Barrio Adentro works, and what special challenges it faces in a more rural setting.
Lunch at river
Afternoon Cultural Performance at Casa de Cultura in San Jose and discussion of Afro-Venezuelan traditions and culture.
Dinner at Liliana Perdoma's home
Day 9 Breakfast at Liliana Perdoma's home
Afternoon Visit Cooperativa "Chocolate Doña Petra". See the chocolate making process and have a chance to purchase locally made chocolate products.
Free Time at Beach
Return to Caracas
Day 10: Morning- Free time
Meet with Greg Wilpert of Venezuela Analysis. V.A. is an editorially independent website produced and disseminated by individuals dedicated to reporting news and analysis in English about the current political situation in Venezuela.
Wrap-up meeting and planning for steps to take back home
Day 11: Farewell! Return to Maiquetía International Airport in Caracas for departures.
