"SIX wonderful months," says a local resident,
referring to the period since 43 campesino families
in the incredibly beautiful Viñales Valley, in
western Cuba, began to enjoy the benefits of clean
energy produced by the sun.
Acknowledging its merits as a "combined work of
humans and nature," in 1999 UNESCO designated the
Valley a World Heritage Site in the "Cultural
Landscape of Humanity" category.
The inauguration of the project turned into a
grand fiesta in the Valley.
It is a project developed by the French company
TOTAL, sponsored by the OCEOR financial network, the
French Fund for the World Environment (FWEM), the
Cuban government and the UN Development Program (UNDP).
Each unit is composed of four solar panels, four
6-volt batteries, a 12/110 volt converter, a color
television, a stereo, and five lights. These were
supplied by the three French institutions; cable
laying, installation, and user instruction was
provided by the Provincial (Pinar del Río) and
Municipal (Viñales) governments; while the
coordination, management, and monitoring of the
project was handled by the UNDP at Human Level (DPHL/Cuba),
as part of its strategy for decentralized
development.
Those centrally involved in the project expressed
their satisfaction at this historic occasion. French
Ambassadress Marie-France Pagnier described it as a
challenge and a success, as well as an example of
fruitful cooperation between "public authorities,
UNDP international cooperation and the private
sector, represented by our companies T0TAL and OCEOR."
Jean-Paul Robles, the TOTAL representative
expressed special thanks for the coordination and
promotion work undertaken by the DPHL/Cuba in the
province of Pinar del Río.
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Investment
and Economic Cooperation (MINVEC), specialist Ramiro
León emphasized the social and economic importance
of the electrification of these homes, given that "humanity
is the epicenter of the community."
Héctor Luís Cabrera, president of the Municipal
Assembly of People’s Power in Viñales, told
Granma International that 43 homes will now
enjoy electricity alongside other institutions where
the Cuban state has financed the installation of
photovoltaic energy. He added that the municipal and
provincial authorities are ready to continue
advancing in the photovoltaic electrification of
other remote homes.
Reynaldo Estrada, director of the National Center
for Protected Areas, an entity of the Ministry of
Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA),
expressed that "this significantly contributes to
improving the living conditions of the region in
harmony with nature." The center is the governing
body of the "National System of Protected Areas" to
which Viñales Valley belongs.
On behalf of the UNDP, Sergio Novas, national
coordinator of the DPHL/Cuba, stressed the value of
this effort articulated by such diverse actors.
Manuel Vázquez was born 54 years ago in Viñales
Valley. Here he established his own family with whom
he works 6.5 hectares producing a very high quality
tobacco, "Habana 92,"as well as vegetables, fruits
and tubers. A cow provides milk and butter and a
litter of pigs, laying hens and chickens provide
meat and eggs.
"But to have electric light and entertainment in
our own home has always been a dream that has now
come true. We are wholeheartedly grateful for these
six wonderful months and hope that other campesinos
in remote parts of the valley will soon be able to
enjoy the same benefits."
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