Douhan, who arrived in Cuba on Wednesday for an academic visit, learned about the operation of the center, inaugurated by the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, on December 31, 1989.

School Principal Esther Maria La O Ochoa explained to the visitor that the school has an enrollment of more than 200 students, 50 of whom stay there full time, since they live in provinces near the capital.

She pointed out that although the center does not have the optimal conditions for the transportation of the students, their food and the acquisition of prostheses, thanks to collective effort and the State, the best living conditions are guaranteed.

She commented that the school is located very close to the Julio Diaz Gonzalez rehabilitation hospital, since Fidel Castro wanted the children to have easy access to the facility.

Today, she added, the center has its own physiotherapy and rehabilitation area, and 72 specialists work in the institution.

She referred to the effects of the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States on the acquisition of equipment for the students, particularly the purchase of specialized buses for their transportation.

However, the principal assured that “if there is one thing the blockade has not been able to do to the school is to extinguish my children’s smile.”

The UN special Human Rights Council representative on the Negative Effects of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights was interested in the financing of the institution, the acquisition of school materials and the functioning of the rehabilitation area.

She also enjoyed cultural performances by children of the school, and conveyed “her sincere greetings and respect for the teachers for the miracle they perform at the center,” in a message in the visitors’ book.

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