57 Children And A Dozen Pregnant Women, The Most Vulnerable Group Of Cuban Migrants

57 Children And A Dozen Pregnant Women, The Most Vulnerable Group Of
Cuban Migrants / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar
Posted on November 30, 2015

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar (Special envoy), San Jose, Costa Rica, 30
November 2015 — Among the thousands of Cubans arriving in Costa Rica in
recent weeks, one of the biggest concerns for humanitarian organizations
and the people are the children. "There are 35 boys and 22 girls who
need check-ups to confirm their state of health," said Carlos Alvarado
Quesada, Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion in a
conversation with 14ymedio on Sunday.

"I saw a woman with a baby girl of six months, in the La Garita
shelter," he recalls. "While she was nursing the baby she was telling
another person how they were persecuted in Colombia. Her story made a
strong impression."

Alvarado Quesada, a communicator by profession and also president of the
Joint Institute for Social Aid (IMAS), said minors are "clearly
identified" and referred also to another vulnerable group, the dozen
pregnant women in the shelters.

The latest official figures are that there are 18 locations providing
accommodation and care for about 3,013 Cubans. "At least twelve of these
places are in Liberia, ten in the canton of La Cruz, four in Upala, one
in Guatuso and one in San Ramon," lists the minister.

Alvarado Quesada agrees with the opinions gathered by this newspaper
about the the communities are involved in supporting migrants. "The
people of La Cruz and Upala, like other regions, are very committed," he
said, adding that residents have made donations and given all kinds of
aid. "Also the churches have joined in solidarity, both Catholic and
evangelical and are preparing and bringing food to Cubans," he continues.

"I visited one of those kitchens where 3,000 meals are prepared daily
and, in fact, the chef is Cuban. Every shelter has a Cuban cook, because
among these people there is every kind of professional. There are
economists, doctors, dancers, boxers …" says Alvarado Quesada.

The Ministry of Health and the Red Cross have conducted a census which
includes data such as name, occupation and clothing sizes of the
Cubans. "Some of this information will enable us to distribute aid,
especially clothes," explains the president of IMAS. In the case of
children it is very important to know the exact measurements to make the
distribution of clothes and footwear more effective.

Asked about the possibility of an airlift that would allow the migrants
to continue their journey to the United States, Alvarado Quesada is more
cautious. "There is willingness to help, but it can not be a flamboyant
help, too dramatic," he says. "This is a matter of freedom, not only of
Cubans but the freedom of everyone."

Source: 57 Children And A Dozen Pregnant Women, The Most Vulnerable
Group Of Cuban Migrants / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar | Translating Cuba
-
http://translatingcuba.com/57-children-and-a-dozen-pregnant-women-the-most-vulnerable-group-of-cuban-migrants-14ymedio-reinaldo-escobar/