More Bridges of Love for Cuba from the U.S.

More than 10,000 catheters and other supplies destined for hospitals in Cuba will arrive this Wednesday in Havana as part of a new solidarity cargo managed from the United States by the Bridges of Love movement.

We have to lift the blockade and if not, then we are going to fill it with holes, said activist Carlos Lazo, leader of the project, to Prensa Latina before traveling to the island.

Referring to the donation, he said that it was possible thanks to the fundamental support of the pacifist organization Code Pink, the Cuban youtuber Guajiro Citadino, a resident in Mexico, as well as emigrants from the island and the United States who advocate for a normalization of ties between the two countries.

We are also carrying hundreds of three-way valves, along with surgical gowns, explained Lazo, who recalled that in the past they tried to acquire the necessary catheters here and the company that sold them refused.

The argument used then was that "Cuba is on the list of terrorist countries; we even filed a complaint with the State Department about this," he said.

The difficulties imposed by a unilateral siege that has lasted more than six decades, meant that, as now, they had to move to a third country to look for the supplies that will arrive on the island on July 26.

Collecting the money was an effort of many. The professor, who lives in Seattle, highlighted the contribution of Medea Benjamin with CodePink, of Guajiro citadino, as well as of "Cuban-American and emigrant brothers and sisters who also contributed through social networks".

In addition, the funds for the purchase of the sanitary equipment were contributed by the coordinator of Puentes de Amor himself, who received a few weeks ago an award for his humanitarian work, the cash component of which he decided to dedicate to this beautiful work of solidarity.

"Well, just three days ago I received a small part of what they will have to give me little by little for the award and I said let's go with this to Cuba, it is the first and I hope it will not be the last", he said enthusiastically.

At the same time, the shipments of powdered milk to Cuba for the pediatric hospitals will continue, he commented.

We are going with the spirit of many emigrants in the United States, of citizens of this country and of good people from all over the world who want the blockade to be lifted and perhaps if for the moment it is not lifted, we are going to take it with us. Let us continue building bridges of love, he concluded.

There is a growing spectrum of people and organizations in the United States advocating for the elimination of the economic, commercial and financial blockade which, since the 1960s, has been maintained by both the Democratic and Republican administrations in transit through the White House.