NJT Manitoba – Winnipeg wishes to thank Darren for taking supplies to Cuba! Darren writes:
I was able to catch a ride on a bus to Cameguey city and then took a rickshaw to the hospital. The staff were very nice and appreciative. The only issue was trying to get the woman filling out the form to print and not write. It took trying to speak with a few people to get her to understand. That might be something good to have the instructions in the language of the country. The hospital is part of system of hospitals in Cameguey and any supplies that they didn’t have a need for would be used by the others. What I saw of the hospital was it was very basic in regards to the building and supplies. It’s hard to believe but this hospital didn’t even have a computer/printer which shows how lacking the facilities are.
I met lots of interesting people from Canada and Cuba. I took my collapsible fishing pole and went to a small marina one night and it didn’t matter what I used, I could not get a bite. The security guard came over and set me up with one of his own weight/hook rigging system and caught shrimp with a net for me to use as bait. I immediately was able to catch many snapper. It just showed how kind the Cuban people are. There was no reason for him to go out of his way to do that, he did not expect anything from me. I experienced this throughout my trip. I spoke to a Cuban in regards to salary and he said that everyone that is working earns $15 USD/month from the government. If you are able-bodied and don’t work you receive nothing, It’s hard to fathom how anyone could survive on this. The small houses and apartments have multiple generations of family as nobody is able to afford their own place.
It was important for me to take the suitcase because I just felt that it was such a small thing for me to do but it could provide so much good. I’m so happy that I did and told as many people from Canada as I could about NJT. None of them had heard of it but all said what a wonderful thing to do.
Many thanks to you and Delores for arranging everything. It has been a very rewarding experience.
Darren
