This week, in the hallways of the Mártires de Las Tunas Pediatric Hospital, patients and staff have heard a language unintelligible to most: Finnish, which members of the Finland-Cuba Friendship Association speak. These words are received with affection because they indicate the presence of the Victoria de Girón volunteer work brigade.
Las Tunas, Cuba.– The activists of the sixteenth edition of the solidarity brigade arrived to provide direct assistance in the surgical unit of the "Mártires de Las Tunas." It is one of the most sensitive areas of the facility, explained Dr. Yaneisi Salinas Medina, Deputy Director of Medical Assistance. She stressed that more than 800 surgical procedures have been performed so far this year alone; half of them were highly complex.
With the financial contributions collected by the activists, air conditioning and kitchenware were purchased, as well as equipment for preserving the instruments and appliances that will be installed at the facility. In addition, the financial contribution, amounting to approximately 10,000 euros, made it possible to cover the costs of other, more specialized masonry and painting projects.
"We know the importance of this aid, given the difficult times Cuba is going through, which is why we are here," said Kaisu Honkala, a veteran teacher familiar with Latin American reality. Minna Mentula, for her part, emphasized the value of this, her first experience in Cuba and with the brigade. "It's very different from coming as a tourist because we know Cuba intimately," she affirmed.
When the work on the facility is completed, they hope to have more operating rooms available to reduce the waiting list for infants who need surgery here.
"You are an example of how the blockade can be broken," said Dr. María Cristina Cisneros, Hospital director.
The officials of the "Mártires de Las Tunas" pediatric added that these efforts are part of a much broader plan aimed at the general reorganization of surgical services to make them more functional and integrated.
FACE TO FACE WITH THE PEOPLE OF LAS TUNAS
After visiting the town of Omaja, to continually rediscover the history of their fellow countrymen who settled there in the early 20th century, and the Raíces de San José community project for the development of rural traditions, the Finnish brigade members continued to learn about the reality of the Las Tunas people. In a friendly atmosphere, they met the students and faculty of the Luis Urquiza Jorge Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences.
It was an open and enriching conversation for all participants. The youngsters, with sincerity and insight, asked about Finnish culture, economy, and education system. The visitors inquired about the motivations, interests, and daily lives of the girls and boys, as well as about the functioning of the school and student organizations. They also gathered details about the training and education of the faculty, responsible for the academic results that distinguish the "Luis Urquiza" from its counterparts in the country.
On Thursday, one of the Association's members, Tomi Kuhanen, was awarded the Friendship Medal in a solemn ceremony at the Vicente García Memorial in Las Tunas, a fitting tribute to someone who has established a bridge between Finland and Las Tunas. Kuhanen, a founder of this unique bond of friendship, has carried out work that combines political activism, humanitarian aid, and cultural promotion, always from a perspective of internationalist solidarity.
