MIAMI, United States. — Activist Johanna Jolá Álvarez, member of the Huellas charity project, He reported on his Facebook account that the Guantánamo Government authorities prevented the delivery of donations intended for families affected by the Hurricane Oscar.
According to his testimony, at the end of December Huellas returned to the province to distribute clothing, footwear, food, medicines and other resources in the municipalities most affected by the meteor (San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Baracoa and Maisí), but the Local authorities detained the cargo alleging an alleged “violation of protocol.”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies the blocking of donations at the end of the year,” said the activist, who assures that the group had permission from the highest authorities of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), the Ministry of Transportation (MITRANS). and the Ministry of Education to distribute aid to affected health institutions, schools and libraries.
With this delivery, Huellas sought to cover urgent needs, especially for families who lost their homes or even loved ones during the cyclone.
The activist explained that, after having unloaded the products from the train and loaded them onto a truck on the night of December 27, they received a summons to appear at 8:00 am the next day at the offices of the Provincial Government of Guantánamo. “They told us that the Guantánamo Government authorities needed to speak with Huellas to document and review the donations,” he said.
However, the result of that meeting was the indefinite blockage of the delivery of the articles. According to Jolá, the officials did not know how to clearly explain what procedure or protocol had been violated, beyond stating that it was something “recent.”
Even so, the activist assures that, thanks to the support of different Public Health and Education workers in the province, Huellas was able to deliver part of the donation in Baracoa, where more than 100 families received a New Year’s Eve dinner, as well as help economic for the reconstruction of their homes.
“The happy protocol was imposed on them above the well-being of the people,” he lamented, describing the withholding of supplies as “anti-Cuban” and a sign of lack of sensitivity to the extreme needs of the population.
In her publication, the Huellas activist thanked the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, and his team, for “opening the doors of all health centers in the country” and facilitating the direct delivery of donated resources, as well as as well as the Transportation authorities who have supported the transfer of “tons of donations throughout the country.”
He also recognized the cooperation of Cuban teachers and educators who, according to him, were already waiting for the arrival of aid in special and rural schools in the province.
The activist concluded by expressing her intention to stay in Guantánamo “until the Government (…) releases the donations” to fulfill her commitment to support families who “live in extreme survival.” “We ratify our desire to hand over all withheld donations personally,” he stated.
