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When hurricanes Mitch and Georges devastated much of Central America and the Caribbean last autumn, the first country to rush in doctors to the stricken peoples was Cuba, despite having suffered significant economic damage itself.

That was the magnificent emergency response, but the Cuban government decided it wasn't good enough to leave it at that. They recognised that more children die unnecessarily in the region each year from preventable diseases than the 30,000 people killed by the hurricane. So they committed themselves to providing large numbers of doctors to work in countries like Honduras, Guatemala and Haiti for several years, and to provide a free medical training for thousands of students from the poorest parts of the region.

Currently 1100 volunteer Cuban doctors are working in Central America, whilst 1500 students from many countries in Latin America have just started the first year of their medical training in Cuba.

Cuba has plenty of skilled workers, human capital, and it shares this freely with other poor countries in a spirit of international solidarity. What Cuba is chronically short of, due principally to the US government's economic blockade, is all the things that have to be bought in hard currency from abroad.

For their national health service this means medicines, medical equipment and also computers. These shortages will only end when the blockade is defeated but aid as human and political solidarity can help fill some of the gaps, as well as demonstrating to the Cuban people their internationalist spirit can be matched by others.

For 5 years now the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, with the support of a number of trade unions, has each summer sent several giant containers jam packed with aid for Cuba, for the health service but also for the education system and for Cuban miners.

This year some trade union activists wanted to go much further and set up the Salud! project to send a boat load of aid to the Cuban health service. At times it seemed like a crazy idea but the aid and money has kept rolling in and on about June 30th the Cuban merchant ship Lila will be docking in Liverpool to collect it all. Many of the 20 buses, 22 ambulances and 2 fire engines that have been donated or bought cheaply have already driven to the port, laden with medical supplies. Other aid such as large medical equipment, and a printing press, has been arriving in containers.

Cuba Solidarity has supported Salud, whilst continuing with its own container appeal to particularly get donations from outside the trade union movement. This year it will fill 4 containers - one entirely with hydraulic hospital beds, the equivalent of two with about 1200 computers (largely 386/486 machines), and the rest a mixture of educational supplies, aid for the Cuban women’s movement, and a donation from the NUM of large amounts of towels and soap for Cuban copper miners.

Donations of money and aid has come from all corners of Britain, from individuals as well as groups. People have organised street collections, meetings and sponsored events in a wonderful spirit of solidarity with their Cuban brothers and sisters.

These containers will be loaded and sent off from various locations on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th June. The campaign has also raised £10,000 to buy powdered milk in bulk to be used for patients in Cuban hospitals. This, together with the money that Salud has raised will buy 50 tons of powdered milk to send on the boat.

There is still time for you to contribute to the appeal by sending donations to ‘Containers for Cuba’ c/o Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Red Rose Club, 129 Seven sisters Road, London N7 7QG. Or you could come along to one of the loadings and help pack the aid onto the containers.

Public container loadings and send-offs:

• Brighton - Friday 25th June, 1am till 3pm, Madeira Drive (seafront)
• Cardiff - Friday 25th June, 12 till 3pm, outside National Museum of Wales
• Derby - Saturday 26th June, 12 till 2pm, the Beaufort Centre, Beaufort Street
• Liverpool - Saturday 26th June, 4pm till 6pm, St Georges Plateau, Lime St.
• London - Saturday 26th June 11am till 3pm at the BRS freight depot, York Way, near Kings Cross, London N1, 3.30pm -5.30pm celebratory drink at the New Market Ale House, 17 York Way, on corner of Agar Grove.

For further details contact the Cuba Solidarity Campaign on 0171 263 6452

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