A shipment of humanitarian aid from the United States arrived this Thursday at the "Abel Santamaría" international airport in Santa Clara, with 700 food kits and another 700 hygiene product kits intended for vulnerable families in Quemado de Güines and Rancho Veloz.
Cáritas Cuba reported the arrival of the shipment, which was received at the airport terminal by Monsignor Arturo González Amador, Bishop of Santa Clara, and Vanesa Hernández Toledo, Director of Cáritas Santa Clara.
Assistance will be distributed in the parochial territories of Quemado de Güines and Rancho Veloz, as specified by the Catholic organization.
The Diocese of Santa Clara, whose ecclesiastical area includes Villa Clara and much of Sancti Spíritus, will be responsible, along with the Diocesan Caritas, for organizing the distribution of the products with the support of Caritas Cuba.
In the process, volunteers from both parishes will participate, as well as religious personnel and representatives from the Church who are already coordinating the distribution among the most disadvantaged families.
The arrival of the shipment occurs just one day after the Diocese of Santa Clara announced that it would begin receiving U.S. aid and explained that beneficiaries would be selected in advance based on their level of vulnerability.
Monsignor González Amador then acknowledged that the available quantity will not be sufficient to reach all those in need.
"We will only be able to assist the most urgent cases and the most painful situations," said the bishop, who warned that the aid will only provide relief for a few days to the needs of the selected families.
"It is a humanitarian aid, it is not a permanent social assistance project," he emphasized.
The religious leader also expressed his hope that the distribution can proceed normally: "We hope that this aid will benefit our people, unfold with harmony and serenity, and be a reason for joy for all of us with the families that are helped."
This shipment is part of the package of 100 million dollars previously announced by the United States for Cuba.
Of that amount, the Catholic Church, through Caritas, will coordinate the distribution of aid valued at 60 million dollars, including the modules and logistical costs, while the other 40 million will be channeled through other organizations.
As explained earlier, this is not a delivery of 60 million dollars in cash to Caritas, but rather the value of the assistance and logistics necessary to deliver it to the families in need.
The assistance is aimed at individuals in conditions of extreme vulnerability, regardless of their religious beliefs. González Amador had clarified that it can benefit Catholic families, those of other religions, or even those without any religious affiliation.
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