Profile: Fundación Seguros Caracas

Using a cell phone while driving is risky. It’s a simple fact. In Venezuela, a timely road safety campaign will tell drivers point blank: “It’s better to lose a call than your life.” Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans will see that message on roadside billboards during the national road safety campaign. “We have to educate people. They need to know it’s a risky thing to do,” says Gerardo Perozo, CEO of Fundación Seguros Caracas.

Fundación Seguros Caracas is the community outreach and philanthropic arm of Liberty Mutual’s Venezuelan subsidiary, Seguros Caracas. It looks for initiatives that could benefit the greatest number of Venezuelans—such as car safety and healthcare. Because of the foundation’s efforts, residents of San Martin, a low-income neighborhood in Caracas, can visit a clinic to learn about their risk factors for diabetes; and at Bandesir, a 32-year-old organization that provides therapy for victims of car accidents, a new rehabilitation room is being opened.

“Like many other countries, Venezuela has seen the number of diabetes cases rise. By supporting the Venezuelan anti-diabetes foundation, many people are getting the information they need,” says Gerardo.

Mr. Perozo is optimistic that the foundation’s programs will make a difference both in preventing diabetes and in helping people make better decisions when they’re behind the wheel. He says, “We’ve become very organized, which makes a big difference in what we can do. In just a short period of time, we’re making real progress in two areas we have found to be vital to the health and well-being of the people of Venezuela.”