acnnews 7
Pastors for Peace Ready to Cross US Border with Humanitarian Aid for Cuba
HAVANA, Cuba, July 20 (acn) The US Friendshipment Caravan held a press
conference on Tuesday at Our Savior Lutheran Church in McAllen, Texas to
announce that the caravanistas will cross the US border on Wednesday into
Mexico, defying Washington’s travel ban.
The Friendshipment Caravan/Pastors for Peace told the press that they will
break Washington’s illegal and immoral blockade against Cuba for the 21st
consecutive time when it crosses the US border with 100 tons of
humanitarian aid for the Cuban people.
There are currently 85 caravanistas from 21 US states, in addition to
Canada, Mexico and Europe ready to travel to Cuba without a license from
the US State Department in an act of civil disobedience to protest the
travel ban and economic blockade against the Cuban people.
This year´s caravan is dedicated to the Cuban children. Lucius Walker,
Executive Director of the Inter-Religious Foundation for Community
Organization/Pastors for Peace said that “half of the medicines in the
world are not accessible in Cuba due to Washington’s economic blockade”.
“Why are Cuban children deprived of medicines that can save their lives?
This is a policy that many people in the US are not conscious of and many
oppose such a policy”, said Walker.
Nine yellow school busses will be donated to Cuban hospitals, churches and
schools. The 100 tons of humanitarian aid includes educational materials
and medicines, hospital equipment, computers, sports materials and
construction tools.
“Anything that Cuba must import is much harder to find and much more
expensive due to the US blockade”, said Reverend Tom Smith, president of
IFCO’s Board of Directors.
The US-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan visited 125 US cities, southern Canada
and urged the members of those communities to call their Congressional
Representatives to support the new draft law that could end Washington’s
travel ban against Cuba.
During their stay on the island, the caravanistas will attend the
graduation ceremony of the students of the Latin American School of
Medicine, where low income students from over 40 nations are studying
medicine free of charge. Of the total amount of medical graduates this
year, 14 are from the US and will return to the states to work in
communities where people are not able to receive health care.
Pastors for Peace is a project of the Inter-Religious Foundation for
Community Organization (IFCO), a national ecumenical center working in
favor of social justice since 1967.
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haiti-cuba-venezuela 
Cuba
July 20, 2010
Great! Thanks for the good news!