In Venezuela, access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) has been deeply eroded by years of institutional weakening, underfunded public systems, and ongoing political and economic crisis. Under the authoritarian regime of Nicolás Maduro, rights have been progressively restricted and health infrastructure dismantled, turning Venezuela into a fragile setting where basic services, including SRHR, are often inaccessible or unreliable. The situation is even more acute in rural areas and among vulnerable populations, where access gaps are wider. Despite this, a range of organizations and activists have stepped in with innovative responses, sustained active community networks, and developed resilient strategies to protect and promote SRHR for those most in need.

While some national plans and frameworks exist, the reality falls far short of guaranteeing effective rights. “We don’t have a national instrument that explicitly and comprehensively recognizes sexual and reproductive rights, or that brings them together in a single, coherent and consistent document,” says Magdymar León, Director of the Asociación Venezolana para una Educación Sexual Alternativa (AVESA), an organization with a longstanding track record in training, service provision and advocacy related to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence. The lack of coordinated public policy is further compounded by the country’s ongoing humanitarian emergency, chronic shortages of medical supplies, failures in basic services, mass migration, and weakened state institutions. The consequences are visible: limited access to contraceptives, rising rates of unintended pregnancy, legal barriers to abortion, and a fragmented or non-existent health system.

In this context, civil society organizations have taken on a central role. Their work extends beyond education and direct support to communities, they also adapt and innovate in response to an increasingly adverse environment. Roxana Marina Vivas Díaz, a feminist lawyer and country lead at Vitala Global, an international organization developing digital solutions for access to SRHR information, highlights the importance of providing “safe and reliable sexual and reproductive health information [also] in rural areas,” as done through the Aya Contigo (“There With You”) app, which in less than a year has reached over 500 users in Sucre, one of Venezuela’s, 23 states. Roxana points to Aya Contigo as an example of a scalable harm-reduction model that could help address the current funding crisis, calling organizations to “increase the use of digital platforms and social media to disseminate information on SRH, as well as to offer virtual consultations and counselling, a model that is more affordable, with greater reach, and that ensures secure and trustworthy information.”

These digital strategies, together with strong community networks and local leadership development, have been key to sustaining a rights-based agenda in a country where SRHR are not treated as a policy priority. Years of underfunding, economic collapse, and widespread corruption have severely weakened the public health system, affecting access to care, training of medical personnel, availability of contraceptive supplies, and the functioning of monitoring and distribution systems. In this context, it is often civil society, not the state, that is filling critical gaps in service and information.. For Agenda Social Asociación Civil (ASAC), which promotes sexual and reproductive rights and menstrual health in vulnerable communities, it is essential to “promote gender equality in a way that is harmonious, coherent, and humane,” while building international networks to raise the visibility of local realities and foster regional synergies. “The adverse conditions affecting the exercise of sexual and reproductive rights that we face in Venezuela should not be replicated, but the adaptive strategies that have emerged can indeed inspire processes of social innovation,” the organization explains.

In light of declining international funding, all interviewees agree on the need to diversify partnerships and revenue sources. Strategies include the development of accessible paid services, the creation of digital content, and the formation of strategic alliances with regional organizations, embassies, and foundations. Ensuring sustainability also means prioritizing low-cost, high-impact interventions, such as community education and the production of outreach materials tailored to reach more people with limited resources. As ASAC puts it, “creating international networks to identify the region’s realities and potential is essential.”

Venezuela shows that even in the most challenging circumstances, organized communities find ways to sustain life, support informed decision-making, and defend rights. Solutions don’t always come from the top. In this case, they emerge from deep listening, collective creativity, and the conviction that another present—and another future—is possible. As Magdymarsummarizes: “The Venezuelan experience in sexual and reproductive health, marked by a profound humanitarian crisis, resource scarcity, and institutional weakening, has led to innovative and resilient responses that can offer valuable lessons for the global community.”