The Puentes de Amor solidarity project, led by Cuban activist Carlos Lazo, sent 5 thousand pounds of powdered milk this Saturday to the eastern provinces of Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Granma, destined for people affected by Hurricane Melissa, as well as churches, pediatric and maternity hospitals in the region.
With this new shipment, the initiative adds 7,500 pounds of powdered milk distributed in one week, as part of its humanitarian efforts to support communities affected by the recent meteorological phenomenon.
In a post published on Facebook, Lazo thanked the collaboration of organizations and people who made the donation possible, among them Codepink, Medea Benjamin, Tighe Barry, as well as Cuban emigrants and American citizens of various faiths and ideologies “united in love for the Cuban family.”
“We are already taking off towards Holguín. We know that this is a grain in a sea of needs, but from granite to granite a bridge is being built,” said the activist.
Bridges of Love is a movement created by Cubans residing in the United States that promotes solidarity and rapprochement between both countries through humanitarian actions and campaigns against economic sanctions that affect the island’s population.
On November 2, the organization managed the transfer to the island of 2,500 pounds of powdered milk also destined for the victims of the disaster and which are already in the country.
Lazo stated that the aid was part of an international campaign that seeks to mobilize people from different backgrounds in support of the island.
A week after Melissa passed through the east, around 120 thousand people were still sheltered in evacuation centers.
Likewise, the Cuban transportation system still faces severe damage. Stopped trains, diverted bus routes and roads covered in mud and debris persist.
Although the airports of Santiago de Cuba and Holguín resumed operations, numerous roads remain restricted, and in Granma and other provinces communication and transportation cuts continue to hinder the arrival of humanitarian aid.
