Venezuela leads the highest hunger rate in South America with 22.9%, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In the absence of official figures, non-governmental organizations are following the trail of the food crisis in the Caribbean country. The Bengoa Foundation estimates that 800,000 children under the age of five are at risk of malnutrition and the Caritas organization estimates that chronic malnutrition exceeds 30% in the poorest areas.
