1.1    Historically, we were born out of the campaign to send a ship to Cuba in 1999 full of  trade union aid for Cuba’s hospitals, valued by the Cuban’s at $1million. This was followed by a second ship with 51 high quality ambulances also valued at $1million in 2001, the despatch of 1 million bars of soap, 30,000 litres of detergent and 10,000 litres of cooking oil to the health trade union in Santiago de Cuba, and the development of aid to support Cuban football.

2.  Cuba

2.1    The early part of this period was taken up with collecting funds to purchase ambulances for Cuba, and moving them to secure warehousing at Manchester where they would be serviced by the Oldham Youth Inclusion Project. During this period, £59,699.97 was raised and £56,587.00 was spent on the purchase of vehicles, spare parts, mechanics costs, fuel and labeling. Vehicles were obtained from the London, Wales and Cumbria Ambulance Services with the assistance of UNISON, and from auction by Karting 2000 who managed the Youth Inclusion Scheme in Oldham/Manchester.

2.2    Our agreement with MINSAP was to obtain a minimum of 50 ambulances followed by the sending, (by MINSAP who also agreed to pay the port costs), of a Cuban ship to Britain to collect the vehicles. Funds were raised from trade unions, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and associated organisations. SI also agreed to ship containers for CSC and ASLEF and a minibus for the Cuban Miners Union (donated by the NUM) on the Cuban vessel. 50 ambulances were obtained during the course of the year, but at year end it became clear that MINSAP were unable to send the ship. There were two of reasons for this. The Cuban merchant fleet had been significantly reduced and MINSAP had insufficient hard currency funds to pay for commercial shipping. The Trustees of Salud International decided therefore that the vehicles would have to be shipped commercially, paid for by SI, who would also need to fund the transportation of the other items for CSC/ASLEF/NUM as promised. This may involve the sale of some vehicles to assist with funding.

2.3    Salud International provided funding for a brand new computer system for the CTC. This was purchased in Havana and is now in full operation.

2.4    Salud International invited Jorge Munoz, the Head of the Virtual Health University in Santiago de Cuba, to Britain to meet with the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Service University to explore co-operation. The visit was a complete success and Salud International now expect a formal co-operation agreement and research relationship to develop over the coming year.

2.5    In the summer of 2003, we arranged for Eddy Brown, the CTC International Department's interpreter, to attend six weeks training in advanced and technical English Language at the London Metropolitan University.

2.6    Following our donation of a bus for the Cuban National Football Team, and the donation of 1,500 footballs for use in schools, we have this year donated 200 footballs to a project run by the Save the Children Fund in the Jesus Maria barrio in Havana. The project is run jointly with the local Municipal Council and is intended to support young people in this district which has a long history of social problems. Jesus Maria was the original ghetto where African slaves were effectively held outside the city walls three hundred years ago. The objective of the project is to eliminate these social problems through the next generation by a range of activities and resources designed by the local partner to assist children and young people. We also facilitated the six month placement of two young British volunteer workers, on Cuban Temporary Resident Permits, to work on this project. Their work included language teaching, sports activities and coaching. We have been asked to find a sponsor for the refurbishment of the Union Fraternal Social Club for use by young people in the district.

2.7    Two representatives from SI attended the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Wilton Park Conference on Cuba in December 2002.

2.8    We continue to work with the Benefico Juridico Hospital in Cerro barrio of Havana. This hospital was founded by Cuban trade unions in the 1930s but today is not in good condition. We were introduced to this hospital by SNTS, the Cuban Health Workers Union. We have already funded the purchase and installation of a lift, and have now reached agreement with a donor for the purchase and installation of a new x-ray machine. Total costs are expected to be $52,000.

2.9    Awards.  In addition to the twenty one Cuban trade union medals and decorations made to Salud International activists, the Cuban Government’s Council of State made an award of the Amistad Medal to one of our workers in recognition of our work. We are extremely proud of the high esteem in which we are held by the Cuban labour movement and government.

4.1    We were asked to develop and implement a project in the Sofala Province of Mozambique. The project was intended; 

4.1.1   to help develop a community of 2,500 families in Chupanga on the Zambesi river, displaced by the 2001 floods,

4.1.2   to renovate a refuge (formerly a Portuguese political prison) in Nhangau for elderly and disabled people who lost their families during the war, which raged in Sofala Province, 

4.1.3   to support the School for the Blind in Beira, and

4.1.4   to provide and fit artificial limbs and to provide training for the victims of land mine across three provinces after USAID had withdrawn funding.

4.2    $82,900 was transferred directly from the donor to an account opened in Beira specifically for this purpose. Two Mozambican signatories for this account were agreed, and a resident British VSO worker - a previous local government accountant and UNISON member - managed the account on our behalf. 

Salud International would like to express it’s appreciation to Thompson’s Solicitors for the management of our accounts, legal advice and hospitality, and to UNISON for provision of administration. We would also like to record our thanks to Lynne Barnett our Administrator.

Eric Roberts, (Chair), Phil Lenton, (International Co-ordinator)

1.7.2003.

Top

The period covered by this report saw the Trust exploring the request from the Cuban Health Workers Union (SNTS) to support the work of the Cuban Medical Brigades in Latin America and Africa, following our visit to Haiti in December 2004. We look at the possibility of a campaign entitled ‘Imagine’ which would give high profile exposure to the work of the Brigades. However, after a further visit to the Cuban Medical Brigade in Honduras, and further discussions with SNTS, we settled on ‘adopting’ the brigades in Haiti and Honduras as part of a triangular arrangement with Cuba and the host country, producing a photographic exhibition explaining the story of the brigades, a publication of either a book or pamphlet and sending priority aid to the brigades. Much work has been done on the production of the exhibition which will be piloted at a trade union conference in early 2005.

We have now sent the funding to the brigade in Honduras to buy a new engine for their boat on the Patuca River in Mosquitia. This is the only means of transport for the Cuban doctors in this remote part of Honduras, where they are serving some of the various ethnic groups such as the Tawahki people. The boat has been out of action for some time making it impossible to continue the work of the brigade in this area. We are also looking at how we may support a bakery project for the Tawahki people and provide solar panels and computers for the Cuban doctors in other remote locations.

We are in discussion with London Ambulance Service about the purchase of around 300 defibrillators which could be used in Eastern Cuba to overcome the continuing problems of patient transport. The idea is that these could be based in a ‘consultario’ or GP practice so they are near to the people who may need them. SNTS has also asked us to look at the possibility of providing electronic Nebulisors for asthmatics in the mountainous parts of Eastern Cuba to avoid the need for breathless patients from descending from the mountains to obtain relief.

We have continued to assist Rochdale UNISON branch in its health project with Pakistan by donating ambulances.

In August 2004, we facilitated the purchase of new computer and printing equipment for SNTS in Santiago de Cuba with the co-operation of Friends of Santiago de Cuba based in the North East of England.