Devised under the theme “Rebuilding Hope”, the program presented Friday by Anne Lemaistre, representative in Cuba for the Regional Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will start next Monday.

Then it will run for a week, in a bid to psychologically tend to those affected by recent storms Oscar and Rafael.

In a joint endeavor with experts from the island’s Ministry of Education (Mined), the UNESCO-funded plan will be supported by artists and social activists, provided with relevant didactic material kits dealing with educational, sports, cultural and leisure topics, to present them at schools in Guantánamo and Granma, in Cuba’s East, and in Artemisa and Havana, in the West.

Guantanamo was severely ravaged by Hurricane Oscar, and Artemisa and Havana by Rafael, while several earthquakes caused serious damage in Granma.

The socio-emotional path seeks to build resilience at the local and national level, as these naturals disasters are expected to return, given the current cycle of climate change.

Lemaistre stressed her office and Mined had agreed to begin with the provision of socio-emotional support by training teachers at affected schools, helping them organize an array of activities for primary and secondary school students.

UNESCO Regional Office’s expert Henry Renna, said they could not stand idly watching the destruction left by these storms in Cuba, and therefore chose to provide education, science, culture and sports as transformative tools.

He added they have managed to raise 30 thousand dollars, with which they will support some 3,500 students and between 200 and 300 teachers from the educational centers that UNESCO staff will begin to visit from next Monday until December 12.

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