Open Arms sailboat returns to Cuba with over seven tons of humanitarian aid › Cuba › Granma

The Astral sailboat, belonging to the Spanish NGO Open Arms, set sail from Cancún, Mexico, and docked this Sunday at the Havana Bay Cruise Terminal, for the second time in just over a month, carrying more than seven tons of humanitarian aid.
The donation, from Mexican civil society, includes medical supplies, powdered milk, school supplies, basic necessities, and nearly three tons of hemodialysis equipment and supplies, which will be distributed to the Dr. Abelardo Buch López Institute of Nephrology and the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital.
The founder and director of Open Arms, Oscar Camps, stated, “We saw what they had and what they didn’t have. We could have finished the mission and gone home, but when you know exactly what someone needs and you have the opportunity to help, you return. That’s why the Astral has come back with almost seven tons of donations.”
He also described the blockade imposed by the United States government as a “medieval siege” that only seeks to harm those who most need these resources. “We traveled all over Mexico for a month collecting all the donations. I wish the Astral sailboat were bigger so we could bring back much more.”
For her part, Noemí Rabaza Fernandez, first vice president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, thanked them for the donations on behalf of all Cubans. She emphasized that the aid arrives during a time of crisis when thousands of patients are waiting for these supplies to achieve a better quality of life.
Next Wednesday, the aid will be delivered to the two beneficiary health centers, at which time the crew of the sailboat Astral will visit and verify the results of the June donation.
Presidents at the meeting included Dr. Reinol García Moreiro, Vice Governor of Havana; Dr. Yagen Pomares Pérez, Provincial Director of Public Health in Havana; representatives from the Mexican Embassy; and medical staff from the hospitals receiving the donation.