A cooperation project financed by the Government of Japan with one million dollars and executed by Unicef It will benefit vulnerable communities in the eastern provinces of Guantánamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba, with emphasis on water infrastructure, sanitation, hygiene and maternal and child health services.
The initiative will last 24 months and will be aimed mainly at girls, boys, adolescents and pregnant womenwith priority in schools and health centers located in high-risk areas, the newspaper reported Granma.
As explained by Sunny Guidotti, deputy representative of Unicef in Cuba, the program seeks to concretely improve essential services in communities frequently affected by natural phenomena.
The project is part of the recovery efforts after the impact of the Hurricane Melissawhich this year hit the east of the country hard.
Among the objectives of the project is strengthen the resilience of beneficiary populations against climate change and future emergenciesin a context marked by the economic crisis and the deterioration of basic services on the island.
Unicef, Japan and support for Cuba
This constitutes Japan’s second collaboration with Unicef in Cuba. The first took place during the Covid-19 pandemic and was focused on strengthening the cold chain for vaccines, an experience that, according to both parties, laid the foundations for sustained cooperation.
The Japanese ambassador in Havana, Nakamura Kazuhito, described the new support as “a concrete example of international cooperation and solidarity of the Japanese people towards the Cuban people.”
Likewise, he expressed his confidence that the project will leave installed capacities that will allow communities to better face future crises.
For its part, Unicef reiterated its commitment to work together with the Cuban authorities over the next two yearsputting the protection of childhood and motherhood at the center, and honoring the trust placed in the organization.
As part of its recent actions in eastern Cuba, Unicef activated three portable water treatment plants to guarantee access to treated water for thousands of families affected by Hurricane Melissa.
In addition, more than 26 thousand people benefited from thousands of hygiene kits, tanks and containers for water storage, distributed in several provinces, along with other supplies previously delivered to evacuation centers in Santiago de Cuba.
More than 100 thousand homes damaged after Hurricane Melissa
