Cargando...Solidarity takes many forms, and Cubans know this well—once again mobilizing in countless ways to help those in the eastern part of the archipelago who need a comforting hand, a word, a gesture, or a hug that says, “I’m with you.”
It helps ease the pain of those who, in an instant, lost what they had worked and saved for over years. How can one not be moved by the images flooding social media, news outlets, and personal testimonies—only surpassed by the countless acts of brotherhood, tangible or not, that when realized carry a special mark.
Rescue operations have been epic. The preparation and response of the Civil Defense System at all levels has been colossal. My deepest respect to the women, still dressed in green, who honor their legacy as Marianas.
These days, it’s said, heard, and proven that we share what we have—not what we have left over. In the places hardest hit by Melissa, supplies arrived first from nearby neighbors to homes and shelters, replacing clothes soaked by rain and rising rivers. Now, little by little, in boxes and any kind of wrapping, supplies of all kinds are reaching the eastern provinces from the west and center of the country—even children are contributing by giving up some of their favorite toys.
Everyone gives what they can, and many workers have purchased essential items to form part of the collective aid packages.
Solidarity travels by road. And though it’s a familiar sight, it never fails to move—the tireless recovery brigades from the electrical and communications sectors, with no set return date to their homes, to which they’ll go back with their mission accomplished and another mark of Cuban pride.
Solidarity also travels by sea and air. It has a surname: international. And a single purpose. Because the brotherhood born of disaster always adds up, making cooperation erase borders—borders we’ve never had with the world. That’s why, even as damages to families and the economy are still being counted, the sun shines as only it can in eastern Cuba, allowing a phenomenon to bloom—one that multiplies and overflows with hope, love, and faith.
