We accompany the recovery in Guantanamo for every child and their families
The best way to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is to prioritise children and adolescents in the areas most affected by Hurricane Oscar
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I have seen first-hand the magnitude of the damage caused by Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo. I visited two of the most affected municipalities, San Antonio del Sur and Imías, together with representatives of the United Nations System, the Civil Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment.
In just a few hours, the heavy rains caused the rivers to rise sharply and the centre of San Antonio del Sur and several areas of Imías were flooded. The water got into the houses, the schools, the polyclinic, everywhere, to levels never seen before by the neighbours of these municipalities. The mud entered with the water and has remained impregnated in every object it touched.
The solidarity of the neighbours saved many lives. As we walked through the streets, we heard the stories of people who helped others to raise roofs and get out of their houses as the water rose rapidly. We also witnessed the sadness of seeing their belongings submerged in the mud that washed down from the mountains. Many families lost everything.
In Imías and San Antonio del Sur, we saw water tankers in full operation, at collective water distribution points. Other people are given bottled water because of the impossibility of access to the communities that are difficult to reach.
Oscar's impact is not only on infrastructure, roads and crops; it also has a tremendous psychological impact on the villagers. Fortunately, they know they are not alone and are grateful for all the hands that have been extended to support them.
At every step, we find brigades from neighbouring territories and other provinces, working to clean and recover all the spaces. We meet with national and local authorities on the ground, in dialogue with the people, addressing the most pressing needs.
At the Pedro Hernández Segura Elementary School —one of the 210 damaged in the province— we checked the destruction to furniture, computers and books. Now, the priority in the school facilities is to ensure that, on 4 November, their students can return to classes.
UNICEF's mandate is to ensure the protection and development of children and adolescents. In emergencies, we are there to reach out with a rapid and timely response to those who need it most. Our support contributes to:
- Restore access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene conditions for families, schools and health institutions and communities. As part of our first response after storm Oscar, a water treatment plant, water tanks, hygiene kits and purification materials have been sent to the most affected areas.
- Ensure the rapid resumption of educational activities in safe learning spaces. This way, families can also be incorporated into recovery actions in their communities and workplaces. In addition, we help the psycho-emotional recovery of affected girls, boys and adolescents. For the education sector in Guantánamo, we provided supplies to repair roofs (roof tiles, waterproofing blankets, screws, etc.) and early childhood educational and recreational kits, with teaching materials that can help them overcome the anguish of these days and resume their routines.
- Rehabilitate and guarantee essential maternal and child health services in the territory by procuring critical medicines and medical supplies. At the same time, we support the prevention of community infections and the promotion of appropriate care in the first 1000 days of life. To this end, on Saturday 26 October, we received by air a shipment of essential medical supplies that will benefit more than 140,000 people in Guantánamo over the next three months.
After we visited the affected territories, we noted the devastating damage caused by the hurricane and the need to accompany the country with the UN System Action Plan in response to this situation. Oscar touched Cuban soil just one month before the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There will be no better commemoration for UNICEF in Cuba than to focus on the children and adolescents of San Antonio, Imías, Maisí and Baracoa in this difficult period, so that they have essential life services and can enjoy full development.
