UNICEF donations arrived in Cuba for the people affected by the climatic phenomenon

Santiago de Cuba, 10 November 2024. - A few days after two hurricanes hit Cuba, the United Nations System (UNS) immediately accompanies the country's efforts to support the people and mitigate the severe effects in several territories of the Caribbean Island.

The first of four flights arrived this Sunday in Santiago de Cuba, as part of a joint effort by the European Union and five UN agencies, including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Three more flights will arrive in the coming days, carrying more than 94 tons of staple supplies that respond to the UNS Action Plan, developed in coordination with the national authorities.

The flights are financed by the European Union with the logistical support of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot Network, managed by the World Food Programme and at the arrival of the first flight at the Antonio Maceo International Airport, Isabel Brilhante, Ambassador of the European Union in Cuba, pointed out that this gesture helps to improve the situation of vulnerable people and strengthens the strategic alliance to respond to the priorities identified in the UNS Action Plan.

Brilhante expressed support for the Cuban people in this tough situation and stated that they are working to organise a fifth flight in order to add new capacities and resources for recovery.

Meanwhile, Beatriz Johnson, First Secretary of the Communist Party in Santiago de Cuba, affirmed that, as in previous instances, the nation is receiving solidarity aid provided by international agencies of the UNS in response to disaster situations.

Through activating its internal emergency response mechanisms, UNICEF mobilized its own resources and reallocated existing funds to provide 1,024 hygiene kits and collapsible 5,000 and 10,000-litre water tanks for children, adolescents and their families.

Also, with the support of the European Commission's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), mosquito nets, chlorination tablets, water tanks and buckets arrived in order to contribute to Cuba's efforts to improve conditions of habitability, health, water, sanitation and hygiene.

In addition, 51 kits of medicines and medical supplies arrived on the flight, 28 of which were purchased with the contribution of the Government of Canada, including painkillers, antibiotics, antifungals and other essentials.

These supplies will support health care, especially for pregnant women, children and adolescents, for three months in the territories most affected by Hurricane Oscar in Guantanamo.

UNICEF will also assist in the rapid resumption of academic activities by providing roofs, equipment, school furniture, and educational, didactic and recreational materials to facilitate teacher development and psycho-emotional support upon the return to the classroom.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

With the support of the European Commission's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), the supplies listed below were positioned in the country:

• 1,500 mosquito nets
• 3,000 ten-litre water tanks
• 14 water tanks (7 of 5,000 litres and 7 of 10,000 litres)
• 920 chlorination tablets

UNICEF brought:

• 10 water tanks (8 of 5,000 litres and 2 of 10,000 litres)
• 1,024 hygiene kits
• 51 kits of medicines and medical supplies. Twenty-eight of these kits were purchased with the contribution of the Canadian Embassy in Cuba and include medicines such as analgesics, antibiotics, antifungals and other essential supplies. These 28 kits will support the medical care for 86,000 people for three months, especially pregnant women, children and adolescents in Guantanamo, the province most affected by Hurricane Oscar.

Reporting by Nelson Hair Melik Marrero, Cuban News Agency (ACN)