After the end of the annual Easter egg sale organised by Viva Salud and Cubanismo.be, The campaign to raise funds for the purchase of medical equipment continued for several months. In cooperation with a number of other Cuban solidarity organisations and Cubans in Belgium, Cubanismo.be has filled two containers with equipment that Cuba has difficulty obtaining because of the American blockade: from hospital beds to thermometers. And a third container will soon be leaving for the island!
Watch a video here recorded during the filling of a container.
Not only the Belgian press, but also the Cuban press are talking about the campaign. Read below an interview with Reinaldo Romero, one of the initiators of the action in Belgium.
Brussels, 29 September, Prensa Latina in Granma :
Cubans living in Belgium and people showing solidarity with the island are preparing a third container of donations for the Cuban healthcare sector, project coordinator Reinaldo Romero said today.
«After the two containers of medical equipment and sanitary items sent to Cuba last July, we are already working on a new shipment, which will include tens of thousands of syringes, masks and hospital beds,» he told Prensa Latina.
According to Mr Romero, the aim is to send these donations to the largest island in the West Indies in November. The initiative aims to support the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Cuba, at a time when the impact of the intensified US economic blockade against the island is posing a challenge.
«We see a lot of motivation among the people involved and, little by little, we are gaining experience. As time goes by, new participants are joining this solidarity project, which we want to continue over time, even when the pandemic is behind us», he emphasised.
Cubans like Romero work with Belgian associations that have long supported the Caribbean nation, including Cubanismo.be and Friends of Cuba, as well as newcomers such as Salsa Brugge.
Donations, cooperation with Belgian institutions and fundraising are an important part of the project's health assistance activities.
Mr Romero told Prensa Latina that the challenges they face in implementing this initiative are not of the least, But the will and the collective work are powerful weapons that give us confidence in the success of this noble undertaking.
«For example, because of the US blockade, we have already had to close an account that had been set up for solidarity donations, but we have already opened another», he explained.
A big thank you to everyone who supported us and helped fill the containers. Thanks to you, the Easter campaign and the campaign for medical equipment were exceptionally successful. We raised no less than 18,000 euros!
The translation of the Cuban article can be found at Cubanismo.be. Want to get involved in Cuba? Take a look at their Facebook page.
