Aid continues to arrive to Cuba in the wake of Irma

Messages of solidarity and shipments of humanitarian aid have continued to arrive to Cuba, shortly after efforts began to recover from the impact of Hurricane Irma.

On September 14, the Thai Binh Trade and Investments Corporation delivered 150,000 USD worth of aid to the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam, toward supporting recovery efforts in the country.

This is not just an economic contribution, it’s also a gesture which reflects the Vietnamese spirit of solidarity, especially toward this sister people, stated President of the entity, Tran Thant Tu, on presenting a symbolic check to Cuban Ambassador, Herminio López Díaz.

The donation consists of a shipment of construction materials, foodstuffs and other urgent supplies.

The Cuban Ambassador recalled the longstanding ties between the island and the Thai Binh Trade and Investment Corporation and its associated entities, describing the donation as both solidary and necessary.

Meanwhile, a ship from Panama’s Colon Container Terminal carrying five containers of rice, oil and other foodstuffs arrived to the Mariel Port on September 14.

The cargo forms part of aid shipments, sent from the Central American nation in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which began arriving in Cuba on September 13.

Furthermore, ever since it resumed flights, Copa Airlines has been supporting the government’s efforts, sending three planes to Havana with 4,800 tons of hygiene products, sheets and food, among other supplies.

According to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, next week 15 more containers carrying mattresses, sheets, hygiene and cooking products, blankets, foodstuffs, wood, lighting, water tanks and other urgent supplies will arrive to the port of Santiago de Cuba, in the east of the island.

Meanwhile, the government of the Czech Republic sent a message of support to the Cuban people and government following the damage caused by the powerful hurricane.

The text noted that “In light of the close cooperation ties that exist in the spheres of energy and food, this European nation is willing to help Cuba in said sectors.”

From South Africa, friendship and student associations composed of graduates from Cuban educational institutions set up solidarity fundraising appeals to support recovery efforts on the island following Hurricane Irma.

The South African Friends of Cuba Society (Focus) announced the creation of a post-disaster solidarity relief fund and called on the entire population and organizations to support the campaign and help “our Cuban brothers and sisters, who have begun a long and difficult process to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma.”

Meanwhile, the South African Association of students graduated in Cuba, called on friends and doctors trained on the island to help the Cuban people, “out of concern, patriotic conscience and solidarity.”

Likewise, the Association of Uruguayan Doctors who graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine (AUE-ELAM) reaffirmed its unconditional support to the people and government of Cuba.

“Those of us who received the solidary hand of the revolutionary people of Cuba, express our commitment to give back to our second homeland, all the solidarity with which we were trained,” read the message.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s Socialist Cuba Initiative Friendship Association (ICS) expressed its firm solidarity with the Caribbean nation following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, as well as its commitment to supporting recovery efforts.

In a message sent to the Cuban Embassy in Belgium and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, the organization expressed its regret over the destruction caused by the hurricane in Havana and other areas of the country.