World organizations send donations to eastern Cuba

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, November 11 (ACN) New donations from sister organizations and nations were received today in Santiago de Cuba, with the aim of contributing to the swift recovery of the areas affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The ALBA ship Manuel Gual arrived in the Guillermon Moncada port in this city.The vessel departed from the international port of La Guaira, Venezuela, carrying 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid to address the effects of the powerful storm.

This gesture symbolizes the principles of the organization founded by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez and reflects that brotherhood and solidarity know no borders when people are in need.

Among the supplies sent are food, medicine, sheets, mattresses, bags, toys, water storage tanks, and electrical equipment for repairs and maintenance of the power system in the eastern region.

These supplies are in addition to the 26 tons that arrived in Cuba on October 30.

The reception was attended by Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba; Jorge Luís Tapia Fonseca, Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba; Orlando Miguel Maneiro Gaspar, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Cuba; and Beatriz Johnson Urrutia and Manuel Falcon Hernandez, President and Vice President of the Provincial Defense Council (CDP), respectively.

Similarly, a donation arrived in Antonio Maceo Grajales International Airport as part of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) response to the emergency in Cuba.

Fidel Rodriguez, a UNDP communications analyst, indicated that the flight brought 4,375 tarpaulins for temporary roof coverings, a solution that helps families protect themselves from the rain while issues related to the type of home infrastructure are being addressed.

This donation, she said, is supported by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and is being made in close coordination with Civil Defense and provincial authorities.

Mayra Perez, delegate of the Chamber of Commerce in Santiago de Cuba and member of the Foreign Trade subgroup of the Provincial Defense Council, emphasized that the people of Santiago de Cuba, and Cubans in general, appreciate this gesture of solidarity during these difficult times following the hurricane.

She affirmed that it demonstrates the solidarity and love of the world's people for Cuba. Santiago de Cuba, the province most affected by Hurricane Melissa, is working on recovery efforts to restore the vitality, color, and joy that have always characterized it.