Cuba will receive funding of $680,000 from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to address the damages caused by Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo.
The donation will be allocated for agricultural, forestry, and fishing recovery and is intended to benefit over 140,000 residents in the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Maisí, and Baracoa.
The initiative, which includes support from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), focuses on rehabilitating short-cycle crop production, restoring livestock and fisheries, and improving the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen.
According to a statement from the FAO, seeds, irrigation systems, solar panel pumps, materials for growing houses, and agricultural tools will be sent to the affected areas.
Facilities related to the breeding of small livestock (sheep and goats) will also be rehabilitated, benefiting 1,629 people across 24 production units, with the aim of enhancing local production of animal protein.
Measures will be implemented to support coffee, cocoa, and coconut growers, along with agroforestry reforestation activities.
Additionally, 6,850 farmers will be trained in the efficient management of soil, water, and energy, particularly in emergency situations.
Regarding the fishing sector, the FAO announced that it will support the recovery of the livelihoods of workers by rehabilitating the processing capacities of seafood products at the Baramar Business Unit (UEB) and at the fishing bases associated with the Pescaguan company in Baracoa.
The Cuban government has received several donations from organizations and countries to help mitigate the effects of Hurricane Oscar, which struck the eastern region of the island in October, resulting in eight deaths, two missing persons, and millions of pesos in material losses, particularly in housing and agriculture.
This week, 300 tons of "vital resources" arrived from Venezuela to aid in recovery efforts for the damage caused by hurricanes Oscar and Rafael in the eastern and western provinces, respectively.
The ship carrying construction materials and supplies for primary healthcare has arrived at the container terminal of the Guillermón Moncada port in Santiago de Cuba.
On the other hand, the Antonio Maceo Grajales International Airport, also in Santiago de Cuba, received the first of four planes with a donation totaling 600,000 dollars, which the United Nations and the European Union sent to the victims of Hurricane Oscar.
The Santiago airport is expected to receive over 94 tons of supplies between November 10 and 13 as part of the UN action plan in response to the hurricane, aimed at assisting nearly half a million people affected in Guantánamo through the delivery of medicines, medical supplies, water storage tanks, hygiene kits, chlorine tablets, tarps, mosquito nets, solar lamps, tool kits, among others.
The government of Spain also donated 9.3 tons of humanitarian aid materials to Cuba for those affected, including a shipment that contains 70 tents, 1,000 mosquito nets, and 227 cooking sets, among other supplies, valued at $56,000.
Last week, the Cuban regime received a shipment of 100 electric generators donated by the American organization People’s Forum NYC to help alleviate the energy crisis on the Island following the impact of hurricanes Rafael and Oscar.
The aid, delivered in three shipments, will be used to keep hospitals, polyclinics, and other institutions operational in the provinces of Guantánamo, Artemisa, Mayabeque, and Havana.
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