By
Reinaldo Escobar.
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.”
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Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Minister of
Human Development and
Social Inclusion of Costa Rica
(14ymedio)
|
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
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 cannot be a flamboyant help, too dramatic,” he
says. “This is a matter of freedom, not only of Cubans but the freedom of
everyone.”
