May 2001
Neither the repressive Third World slum that the U.S. government makes it out to be nor the peaceful and prosperous Communist utopia that Castro’s propagandists suggest, Cuba is a land of incongruities. It is a place where men and women enjoy free education and health-care services. It is also a police state, offering its inhabitants no civil liberties, and held together by a black-market economy based in U.S. dollars. It is an island populated by people quietly critical of their government, yet proud of their past—and of their common resiliency. Fundacion Amistad purposes mutual understanding and appreciation between the people of the United States and Cuba.

May 2004
There is a saying in Cuba, “no es facil” (“it’s not easy”); Cubans are denied basic human rights daily, including freedom of expression, association, and the right to freedom of movement. Travel regulations imposed by the Cuban government prevent Cubans from reuniting with family members abroad; while travel restrictions recently imposed by the United States in June 2004 established strict limits on family related travel to Cuba. The effects on Cuban families are tremendous. On May 14th, the Cuban government sponsored a protest march against the announcement of the new U.S. travel ban. Taking place in Havana, nearly 1.2 million Cubans participated while our SOW team documented.