CYCLE CUBA

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: june 2009 :: RMTnews 25 Earlier this year I returned to Cuba with 38 fellow trade unionists and together we continued our fund raising activities for disabled children. We cycled 350 km over five days through rural Cuba raising funds towards educational equipment and delivering aid to the Abel Santamaria School for visually impaired children. Our journey took us from Sancti Spiritus to Trinidad, Cienfuegos to Santa Clara and finished in Remedios. Part of our trip included a hik e to Caburni Falls in the Escambray Mountains: Cuba’s second highest mountain range, rich in the production of coffee beans. We also toured of one of the many health care centres which proved Cuba has one of the best health systems in the world. Health care, including eye care, dental care and prescriptions, are free and universal. Cuba also shares 30,000 doctors with undeveloped countries for free. We met with the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) which is a network of local committees across Cuba and an organisation designed to put educational, medical and other campaigns into national effect. A highlight was the visit to the Memorial and Museum of Ernesto Che Guevara to pay homage to ‘El Guerrillero Heroico’ (The Heroic Guerrilla) who fought alongside Fidel Castro. May Day in Cuba is an incredible experience. The international workers’ day was celebrated by over one million people in Revolutionary Square and clearly demonstrates resistance to the illegal trade embargo which has been in place for 50 years. It isn’t difficult to see why Cubans support their government. They live in a socialist country which places the collective good before individual gain. They do not have mortgages, they do not live on credit and they do not suffer the stresses of a life filled with fear. In schools the teacher to student classroom ratio at primary level is 1-20 and at middle level is 1-15 sometimes much lower. Is it any wonder high school graduation is 97.5%? The ratio for those with severe physical and mental disabilities is 1-1 and remote villages which may have one or two children are provided with a qualified teacher. Cuba is a fascinating country and deserves recognition for all it has achieved. I sincerely thank RMT members for your contributions towards our sponsorship for the Cycle Cuba Challenge. Our help has made a huge difference and is wholeheartedly appreciated. Sign up for next year’s Cycle Challenge and see for yourself how an alternative way of life is possible. CYCLE CUBA Julia Mansbridge from RMT’s Industrial Relation’s department reports on her recent fund raising cycle trip across Cuba. “We have a country in which everyone has learned to read and write, in which almost a million adults are studying. A country that is the master of its resources, the master of its lands.” Fidel Castro Julia Mansbridge cycling Cuba’s streets DO YOU WANT TO CYCLE ACROSS CUBA IN 2010? Music Fund for Cuba Cycle Challenge 21 April – 03 May 2010. Raise money for the Miramar Community Theatre restoration project and the Abel Santamaría School for visually impaired children in Havana. Cycle to the salsa beat. Dramatic landscapes. Vibrant Cuban culture. Meet the Cuban people at workplace and cultural visits. VIP invitation to attend May Day Rally in Plaza de la Revolución. Full details from Cuba Solidarity Campaign. Email: tours@cuba- solidarity.org.uk. Tel: 020 8800 0155. Viva la Revolución! May Day in Havana