Over 40,000 pounds of construction material were delivered to the western Cuban province of Pinar del Río on Saturday by members of the U.S.-based HATUEY Project to support Cuban residents heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian last September. The HATUEY Project’s name (Health Advocates in Truth, Unity and Empathy) honors Hatuey, the Indigenous man who fought Spanish colonization and was burned at the stake in 1512 for his resistance. He is known as one of Cuba’s first heroes.

The HATUEY Project sent a 40-foot container by ship from Miami to Cuba that arrived on January 19. Thanks to generous donations of community groups and individuals from the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia and Germany, the donation included 18,000 pounds (500 panels) of 3’x12’ sheet metal roofing, 19,200 pounds of concrete, two 12,000 watt electrical generators, windows, plywood and tools – all essential products for home reconstruction.

Donations to HATUEY came from The People’s Forum, the ANSWER Coalition, Movimiento Nacional Hostosiano of Puerto Rico, the Mexico Solidarity Network, the Western Sydney (Australia) Committee in Solidarity with Cuba, and many individuals.

The group met with representatives of the local government and workers to learn about the ongoing recovery efforts in the region. Roughly 120,000 people were affected, with 60% of housing damaged. The electrical grid was downed completely. 11,000 tobacco curing houses were destroyed by the Category 4 storm. Cuba’s famed cigars are a major source of foreign income for Cuba. Nearly all food production was wiped out.

Pinar del Río is the westernmost region of Cuba, most famous for its tobacco production, with agriculture a close second. 48.3% of Pinar del Rio is covered in forests, and it is the largest producer of wood products in Cuba. It has the only factory for electronic components of solar panels in Cuba.

Residents in the hurricane’s direct path were evacuated, and three Cubans died. Comparatively, over 70 people died due to the same hurricane in Florida. Immediately following the storm, the National Defense Council of Cuba (NDC), provincial and municipal governments, together with the community, jumped into action. The NDC is headed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel to address national emergencies, provide resources and support to municipalities in recovery.

They held community discussions, surveyed neighborhoods with case workers to identify the most impacted, and helped to plan long-term recovery. In coming days, families who still need housing will receive for free the materials donated by HATUEY. Additionally, micro-, small-, and medium-sized private businesses (MIPYMES) are partnering with the government to work on the construction.

Within 35 days, the electricity was completely restored. Over the last six months, 25% of housing in Pinar del Río has been recovered, despite immense material shortages due to the U.S. blockade against Cuba. While 46 different entities around the world have sent donations of construction materials, including Mexico and Venezuela, Pinareños and Cubans from other provinces have been working hard to redesign houses with local materials and improve upon their former designs to withstand future hurricanes.

HATUEY coordinator Gloria La Riva explains, “We witnessed the tremendous collective spirit of the Cuban people, from the construction and warehouse workers as well as the communities, to overcome a storm that destroyed so much of the province. Our greatest responsibility is to continue fighting the U.S. blockade which is more harmful than any hurricane.”

In a neighborhood called El Calvario in the municipality of Pinar del Rio, professors Mikel Moreno and Jorge Luis Valla Soto of Havana University’s Heritage Preservation department are working with the university students, also from Havana, to build a new home for a mother and her six children. The unique double-domed Catalonian-inspired design utilizes local materials, such as brick, a special formula of cement, and local wood, to avoid dependence on more expensive materials such as steel. The design keeps the house cool during hot weather, and is built to withstand future hurricanes.

In another community of the township of Pinar del Río, we saw bathrooms being built with concrete brick to shelter from future hurricanes. Many families lost everything when entire houses were destroyed during Hurricane Ian. “In the reinforced bathroom, families will be able to shelter in place, or, if they have to evacuate, they will be able to leave their valuables in these rooms to stay protected,” explained Armando Izquierdo Valdez, construction brigade leader.

Cuban workers from other regions have made great sacrifices to support the people of Pinar del Río, coming from provinces and cities hours away, staying months at a time, and working long days.

“Cuba is an example we need to learn from in what is possible for our own future. Housing is essential to our physical and mental well-being, but in the United States it is viewed as separate. We see luxury apartments coming up overnight but public goods, like truly affordable housing, public libraries, and hospitals, take years to develop because the United States puts profits over people,” said Andira Alves of the HATUEY Project.

“The Cuban government and people have the will to repair the damage, but due to the criminal U.S. blockade, the resources fall short,” said Jake Tucker, a construction worker in San Antonio who came with the HATUEY Project to witness Cuba’s recovery. “The people of Cuba are progressing towards a full recovery for everyone affected. We came away with a greater understanding of how Cuba’s government and people work together to build their society.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/517078

In order to join efforts to improve people-to-people contacts and move towards a new level in bilateral relations in general, and in particular in the sphere that she attends to, the Lao minister urged to further foster the long-standing collaboration provided by Cuba to her country.

The head of the Cuban diplomatic mission, for her part, expressed her satisfaction with the increase in cooperation in matters of labor and social security, and exchanged criteria with Khattiya about the ministry she heads.

Viant also explained to her hostess the parliamentary electoral process in Cuba, which will culminate on March 26, and offered an exhaustive explanation about the composition, representativeness and level reached by the current candidates for deputies.

In recent days, the Cuban ambassador paid courtesy visits to the general director of Lao National Television, Amkha Vongmeunka, and to the editor-in-chief of the Vientiane Times newspaper, Thonglor Duangsavanah.

Last week, the member of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and president of the Women’s Union, Inlavanh Keobouphanh, visited Cuba.

If the proposed candidates are elected on March 26, Cuba will maintain a milestone reached in 2018, since it will once again have the world’s second parliament with the largest number of women: accounting for 55.3 percent of all lawmakers of a total of 470 legislators.

The leading role of Cuban women is also evident in the country’s scientific and technological events, as more than 50 percent of its stockholders are women, as well as in the labor force, hence their parliamentary candidacies include representatives from all walks of society.

Women’s participation due to their merits and skills in Cuba’s Parliament has been increasing: in the 7th Legislature, which was in session from 2008 to 2013, they constituted 43.32 percent of the total number of its deputies, while in the 8th Legislature (2013 to 2018) that figure reached 48.86 percent.

In the 9th Legislature, which will cease its functions in 2023, 53.4 percent of women are women.

These figures are results of the existing policies to guarantee the development of women, expressed in the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, and the promotion of initiatives to eliminate gender gaps.

The advances experienced in this matter in the last few decades are considered one of the most successful social phenomena that have occurred during the Cuban Revolution.

Washington, Feb 20 (Prensa Latina) The Puentes de Amor solidarity project contributed to the return to Cuba today of a young man from this country who emigrated to the United States a few months ago and was the victim of an accident.

According to the coordinator of the group, Carlos Lazo, the boy, after living for a time in the state of Texas with his brothers, “had the misfortune of suffering a catastrophic accident that left him immobile and unconscious for months.” In that demarcation he underwent surgery and was treated in a hospital, but specialists considered the patient hopeless because his chances of recovering and surviving are slim, the activist added on his official Facebook account.

Lazo said the young man’s mother, who lives in Cuba, as well as his brothers, contacted Puentes de Amor to help manage his repatriation, to see the possibility of him receiving medical attention on the island.

“After several days of long travel to Texas, where members of the project picked him up and transported him to the city of Miami, this afternoon, we just landed in Cuba with the boy,” the Cuban resident professor emphasized in his publication in Seattle.

The coordinator of the initiative conveyed his thanks to the American doctors who initially treated the injured man, to his brothers, who took care of him since he left the hospital, and to all the people who in one way or another made this reunification trip possible.

In turn, Lazo conveyed his gratitude to the authorities in Havana, the Department of Attention to Cubans Residing Abroad, and the Cuban embassy here, “for becoming aware of this case and facilitating the documentation and procedures quickly, as well as how to coordinate in Cuba the reception and medical attention of the patient”.

Every month Puentes de Amor convenes solidarity caravans that, among other demands, defend the family reunification program, the sending of remittances and trips to Cuba, affected by the more than 240 measures imposed during the mandate of Donald Trump (2017-2021) and that are still valid.

They also collect donations to buy products such as powdered milk and then bring them to pediatric hospitals, day care centers and nursing homes on the island.

The platform supports the growing network of solidarity with Havana within the United States, which demands that the Joe Biden administration return to the path of understanding between the two countries and demands that the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington be lifted more than six years ago. decades.

Pyongyang, December 31 (KCNA) -- Officials of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of External Economic Relations of the DPRK and the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries visited the Cuban embassy here on Dec. 30 on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban revolution.

Floral baskets in the names of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of External Economic Relations and the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries were laid before the portraits of President Kim Il Sung, Chairman Kim Jong Il, Comrade Fidel Castro Ruz and Comrade Raul Castro Ruz at the embassy. -0-

Photos

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/428989

Some eagle-eyed viewers caught the inconsistency. The same footage – but with the slogans clearly visible – can be seen, for example, in a Deutsche Welle report on the situation in Cuba. Demonstrators declaring that “the streets belong to the revolutionaries” are probably not the kind of Cuban protesters that Senator Cruz had in mind.

Tehran, Nov 6 (Prensa Latina) The Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter called for the U.S. government to put an immediate and unconditional end to its hostile blockade against Cuba, diplomatic sources informed Sunday.

According to a report from the Cuban embassy in Iran, the member states expressed their unwavering solidarity with the Cuban people and government.

The final text stressed that Cuba has heroically endured the negative impact of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington for over 60 years, which represents a major disadvantage to its full economic and social development.

The declaration signed by the 19 countries members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter also supports the resolution passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on November 3, calling for the pressing need to put an end to this genocidal policy unilaterally imposed by the White House on Havana.

The meeting was held on Saturday in Tehran and attended by the Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian, deputy ministers, ambassadors, special representatives and advisors of the guest States.

A dozen Cuban media and people who share their news and political position have been marked on Twitter or blocked on Facebook in the last two days, as part of a mechanism, previously used in both networks, to make content related to political processes invisible.

Although the conditions are not in place for values to flourish as we would like them to, neither is it an option for indifference to prevail.

Cuba celebrates Thursday a new victory in its struggle against the U.S. blockade, by achieving overwhelming support in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for a resolution approved by 185 votes in favor, two against and two abstentions

Hurricane Ian has devastated Cuba’s western provinces of Pinar del Río, Mayabeque and Artemisa. All of Cuba was without electrical power for two days. For six hours the hurricane passed slowly over Cuba, causing unprecedented destruction of thousands of homes and the region’s agriculture, and creating major flooding in Havana. Fortunately, Cuba’s evacuation of the people minimized losses to three people who died. 

Cuba needs massive help to recover! The ANSWER Coalition and the Hatuey Project appeal to you to help Cuba in their time of need. Please make a donation today, so we can send urgently needed medicines and other essential needs to Cuba as soon as possible. 

Electrical workers across the island are struggling mightily to restore power, and the people are working hard in the recovery. 

The will and determination of the Cuban people to recover is strong. What they lack is resources, due to the U.S. economic blockade and 243 added measures signed by President Trump. Those measures have not been lifted by President Biden. 

When a massive oil depot fire hit Cuba in late August, we asked for help. You responded with almost $20,000 worth of donations. We immediately delivered that medical aid to help the burn victims of the fire. 

When we asked, you responded. Today we appeal to you again.  

The U.S. blockade of 60 years harms Cuba greatly. Recently, the U.S. added one more blow in its vicious assault on the Cuban Revolution — designating Cuba as a "state sponsor of terror." This utterly false label presents a major obstacle to Cuba's ability to trade with the world and to purchase needed supplies. Your help to provide those supplies is absolutely essential. We ask you to donate what you can immediately because, as we did with our response to the Matanzas fire, we will rush supplies that we purchase to Cuba as soon as possible. All donations are tax-deductible.

Donate

On behalf of The Hatuey Project, we thank you in advance for whatever help you can offer in Cuba's latest time of need.

Brian Becker, Executive Director, ANSWER Coalition
Gloria La Riva, coordinator, Hatuey Project
Nadia Marsh, MD, Assoc. Prof. of Clinical Medicine
Simon Ma, MD, MPH, Family Medicine
Leni Villagómez Reeves, MD
Rachel Viqueira, MHS, Epidemiologist

(Copied from an email from The Hatuey Project.)

The new Code would legalize same-sex marriage, allow same-sex couples to adopt children, promote equal sharing of domestic responsibilities and extend labor rights (including pay) for those who care full-time for children, the elderly and people with disabilities. It would further confirm the right to free abortion, paid family leave and assisted and surrogate pregnancies (but not for profit), and it would fight gender-based violence and expand the rights of children and grandparents.

What are some good documentaries to check out? What somewhat-short books are good? I’d like to learn about the Martí to Castro period specifically, but anything you can send is wonderful. Thanks

The following is a dispatch that the ANSWER Coalition emailed to me:

Dr. Leni Villagómez Reeves, left, Gloria La Riva, Hatuey coordinator, center, Susana Llovet, Cuban Red Cross, second from right

Dear Friends,

On Friday, August 26, The Hatuey Project and ANSWER Coalition successfully delivered a shipment of medicines and equipment to help in the treatment of the people who suffered serious burns in the massive Supertanker oil fire in Matanzas, Cuba. Four tanks carrying millions of gallons of fuel were consumed by flames after a lightning strike, starting August 5. Hundreds of people were burned. Tragically, 14 firefighters died fighting the fire.

As soon as the giant fire became news, ANSWER and the Hatuey Project issued an emergency appeal for donations, together with other solidarity organizations anxious to extend material solidarity to Cuba. Venezuela and Mexico sent firefighters. Other countries have also offered substantial help. Dr. Nadia Marsh, a member of ANSWER, arrived in Cuba to join the delegation. Dr. Marsh and Dr. Villagómez Reeves provided the medical advice for the shipment and rallied colleagues to join the effort. Many supporters of ANSWER and Hatuey heard the call and donated to make this aid possible.

donate now

Arriving at the José Martí International Airport in Havana, Dr. Leni Villagómez Reeves and Gloria La Riva were met by officials of the Cuban Red Cross, the Ministry of Health, Medicuba and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, to receive the shipment. The Cuban Red Cross is the official recipient to work in the immediate distribution of the goods for the burn patients.

Among the medicines and equipment are 360 bags of Lactated Ringer's Injection solution, 750 IV administration sets, 600 20g IV needle/catheters, 600 18g IV needle/catheters, 110 vials of Piperacillin/tazobactam antibiotics, 6,000 pairs of surgical gloves, 4 pounds of Mafenid ointment for more complex burns, 150 tubes Bacitracin, burn gauzes and rolls. Part of an earlier donation of Benadryl and vitamins by Hatuey were also directed for those patients.

Dr. Daymí Martínez Naranjo, director of Faustino Pérez Hospital in Matanzas; Dr. Maximiliano Prieto Gutiérrez, first grade specialist plastic surgeon; chief nurse Yadarí Calzadilla Delgado; Gloria La Riva; Dr. Elena Robaina Rodríguez, hospital vice-director. Dr. Prieto and Nurse Calzadilla are heading the patients' recovery efforts.

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/368856

I’ve been watching the Documentary that’s on Netflix “Cuba and the Cameraman” and there’s some great footage, I think it portrays Cuba and its struggles accurately, and also Fidel is an absolute Chad in the doc. I’d like to read about Communist-led Cuba primarily, but anything related to Martí or other prior class struggles are interesting to me also. Thank you in advance, I love Cuba so much for their medical help around the world, I wanna know more about them.

The failure of old equipment, the lack of access to replacement equipment, the squeeze on the nation’s economy and the difficulty in acquiring replacement fuel — all of these problems are the direct result of the infamous economic war the U.S. has waged against Cuba since 1961 — a blockade that continues to this day.

But because of Cuba’s principle of “solidarity not charity,” which has sent hundreds of medical missions and assistance to other countries against the depredations of imperialism, Cuba will get the help it needs after the calamitous fire.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro said, as he pledged to help rebuild the damaged terminal: “Cuba knows that it can count on our scientific, technical, engineering and worker support.” Maduro affirmed Cuba would always have “the support of the peoples of the world and of the compassionate, courageous and human-centered governments.” (telesurenglish.net, Aug. 17)

Mexico sent firefighters; the Dominican Republic sent 40 tons of medical aid, and Russia sent a tanker with 700,000 barrels of crude oil, the equivalent of half of what Cuba lost.

Many U.S.-based organizations, including IFCO/Pastors for Peace, Puentes de Amor and Code Pink sent solidarity. Workers World Party raised funds to send to Cuba to be used for medical supplies for those injured in the catastrophic fire.

The ANSWER Coalition is forwarding this appeal from the Hatuey Project, a newly-formed medical aid project of health providers and social justice activists concerned about the harmful effects of the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba.

As you may have already read, in Cuba's Matanzas province a massive fire has engulfed huge oil storage tanks at the Supertanker Base, carrying tens of thousands of cubic meters of fuel each. The fire began with a lightning strike Friday in this province east of Havana, and spread to a second and third major tank on Sunday. It created massive smoke plumes and is still not under control.

Tragically, 16 firefighters are missing and one is dead. Dozens of people are burned, many with second and third degree burns.

We deeply lament the loss of the first missing firefighter found, Juan Carlos Santana Garrido, as well as the disappearance of 16 other firefighters, and the injuries sustained by more than 120 people. We extend our heartfelt solidarity with the people of Cuba.

Critical medical aid is needed. We are urgently appealing for your help.

The Hatuey Project is working to provide some of the most critical supplies for burn patients: Special ointments and gauzes, specialized intravenous solution, syringes/needles, antibiotics, surgical gloves and much more. We are applying for an export license that is required for some of the items. Here's how you can help:

Make a monetary donation so we can buy the supplies below in bulk. These are the most urgent items needed to save the lives of the burn victims.

• Lactated Ringers IV fluid, $225, 24 per case, 500ml
• Continuous Flow Injection Set for IV, 48 per case, $299.50
• Tetanus vaccine, $34.15 per dose
• Syringes with needle, $21.99 per 50
• Piperacillen/Zosyn IV, $394.29 per 1,200 ml
• Silvadene cream ointment, $8.40 per 20 grams
• Bacitracin cream ointment, $2.16 per ounce
• Burn gauze, $9.63 per 4" pad
• Nitrile exam gloves, $5.75 per 100 gloves

We will deliver the first shipments this week by plane and will continue until the need is fully met.

Cuba has been through so much during the time of pandemic. Despite a heroic and successful campaign to vaccinate virtually all of Cuba from COVID, this summer has been particularly taxing for the whole country. Due to the U.S. blockade, major parts for electrical plants are lacking and they are in dire need of repair. The U.S. government has also blocked oil shipments from Venezuela from reaching Cuba. This has created an extreme shortage of fuel for transport and to run the thermoelectrical plants.

The people of the United States have extended material solidarity to the people of Cuba many times. This is now that time again.

Please click here to make a donation to The Hatuey Project. All proceeds will go to the material aid. Every donation to Hatuey is tax-deductible, through our fiscal sponsor, The Alliance for Global Justice. 

On behalf of The Hatuey Project, we thank you.

Nadia Marsh, MD, Assoc. Prof. of Clinical Medicine
Simon Ma, MD, MPH, Family Medicine
Rachel Viqueira, MHS, Epidemiologist
Brian Becker, Executive Director, ANSWER Coalition
Gloria La Riva, coordinator, Hatuey Project

(Emphasis original. Photo credit: Vladimir Zayas/Bohemia magazine)

Download it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKkEw5yOEVA

I'm just learning about this issue more.

News of the jointly developed vaccine is particularly exciting because of the two countries’ cooperative approach in a field that is highly competitive, secretive and totally profit-oriented in Western capitalist countries.