Mericio Akara,coordinator of Luta Hamutuk, East Timor.
Havana, March 21 (acn) The coordinator of the Luta Hamutuk non-governmental organization in East Timor, Mericio Akara, said on Thursday that Cuba is an example for the Third World in the field of cooperation.
"The Cuban people have showed that another society, based on social justice and in which the rights to education and health are respected, is possible," Akara told ACN.
After thanking Cuba for the contribution of the island's medical brigade in East Timor – where they have saved nearly ten thousand lives in four years – Akara said that this help is an expression of the international solidarity among peoples defended by Commander Ernesto Che Guevara.
Akara also expressed his satisfaction at the work of the Cuban advisors of the literacy program 'Yo si puedo' (Yes, I Can) that will help his compatriots learn to read and write (almost 50% of the population in East Timor are illiterates). Currently, 11 Cuban teachers work with the
local Education Ministry in that country to eliminate illiteracy.
On Wednesday, the new 190 members of the Ernesto Guevara Cuban medical brigade began their work in the 13 provinces and 65 municipalities of East Timor.
In all, the Cuban medical brigade there is comprised of 236 people who give free health care attention to the almost one million inhabitants of that country.
