An estimated 30,000 Venezuelans cross the Simon Bolivar International Bridge into Cucuta, Colombia each day.

Some are looking for food that鈥檚 no longer available in Venezuela. Others are trying to sell whatever they can in exchange for Colombian currency, far more valuable than their own.

CTV鈥檚 Omar Sachedina spoke to one man offering precious Colombian Pesos in exchange for the only thing that some women have left to sell: their hair.

鈥淔or 50 centimetres, I鈥檒l pay 150,000 Colombian Pesos,鈥� the man said. That works out to about $63 Canadian.

A woman who is seven-months pregnant was crossing the border with her husband for a medical checkup. Medicine is in short supply in Venezuela, while the infant mortality rate has doubled in recent years.

鈥淢y journey takes 14 hours, once a month,鈥� she said.

When Venezuela鈥檚 President Nicholas Maduro was mentioned, the woman鈥檚 husband broke down.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to go through what we are going through,鈥� he said.

Many of those crossing blame Maduro for their strife. The hand-picked successor to socialist revolutionary Hugo Chavez, Maduro is now widely considered a dictator whose policies have caused the hyperinflation of the country鈥檚 currency and widespread hunger.

After the medical checkup, the couple said they would return home. But thousands of others crossing each day are leaving Venezuela for good.

On Monday, an eight-year-old boy became the latest refugee. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy, because the last time I saw my mom and dad was a year ago,鈥� he said.

The boy had stayed behind in Venezuela after his parents had left for Bogota to begin the process of building a better life. He says he can鈥檛 wait to tell them, 鈥淚 love you.鈥�

Last Wednesday, National Congress Leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president until new elections can be held. Canada, the U.S. and 10 other central and South American countries immediately recognized Guaido.

They have since been joined by Australia and Israel. The European Union has said they will recognize Guaido if Maduro does not call new elections by next Monday when Canada will host a 14-nation emergency meeting.

Meanwhile, Russia and Cuba are siding with Maduro, who said last week in a televised address that Guaido鈥檚 declaration was an attempt by the U.S. to rob Venezuelans of their oil wealth.

Much of that wealth has already been looted. The country has the world鈥檚 largest proven oil reserves but nationalization of industries and corruption at the national oil company has scared away investment and caused hyperinflation, leading to a shortage of supplies.

Maduro has attempted to quell mass protests through force. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said last year that his security forces had been involved in more than 500 questionable killings.