Go to Cuba with Pastors for Peace

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The US government says you can't go to Cuba and see things for yourself.

We say come with us to see for yourself.

Be an ambassador for a new policy towards Cuba.

Join the Pastors for Peace 21st Friendshipment
Caravan to Cuba July 3 – August 3, 2010
for more information contact <mailto:[e-mail]>[e-mail]

President Obama’s election brought hope for
change in many aspects of US policy including the
potential to end the illegal, immoral and
internationally condemned economic blockade of Cuba.

A year has passed and we have seen only small
steps towards a new relationship with Cuba – new
regulations to allow Cuban Americans to freely
visit and send money to their families, and
background talks about a few issues of mutual interest such as immigration.

These are positive steps but progress has stalled
and the fundamental mechanisms of the economic
blockade remain in full vigor. Meanwhile in
Congress there have been a number of bills
introduced to end or ease aspects of the
blockade, the most prominent of which is the one
to end the travel ban for all US citizens. But
none of these has yet come to a vote.

The blockade has been in place almost 50 years
and outlasted 10 US presidents. We have to step
up the pressure to ensure that it finally ends under the current president.

NOW is the time to completely end the blockade,
travel ban and all the measures aimed at starving
the Cuban people into submission and overthrowing
their government. We intend to demonstrate that we will no longer tolerate it.

In July we will travel in school buses, trucks
and cars on 14 different routes to visit more
than 130 US and Canadian cities. At every stop we
will educate people about the blockade while
collecting building supplies and tools for
hurricane reconstruction, as well as medical,
educational and cultural supplies. Join the
caravan as we pass through your community, to
connect and stay with community activists across
the country as you travel. Alternatively join us
directly in Texas on July 18th.

From Texas we travel to Cuba via Mexico. We go
without asking for or accepting a US government
license, as a disciplined collective challenge to
the blockade and travel ban, and as ambassadors
for a People to People foreign policy.

We spend 9 full days in Cuba, in Havana and
neighboring provinces, in fellowship with our Cuban brothers and sisters.

We attend cultural events and visit social
projects such as organic farms, homes for the
elderly and health centers including the
internationally acclaimed Latin American School of Medicine.

We meet and learn from Cubans at every level
about the problems caused by the blockade and how
they have creatively responded, as well as how
they are rebuilding after the three devastating
hurricanes that hit the island in the fall of 2008.

People with skills in construction, organic
gardening or mural painting will have the option
of working alongside Cuban counterparts for a couple of days of the program.

We then return to the US via Mexico, proudly
declaring our travel to Cuba and our opposition to this immoral blockade.

CARAVAN SCHEDULE

JULY 3-17

Caravan routes - educational events and aid collections in the US and Canada.

JULY 18­20

Participant Orientation in Texas.

JULY 21­ 22

Border crossing into Mexico ­ travel to Tampico ­
load material aid onto cargo ship.

JULY 23 – AUGUST 1

Fly to Havana - educational program in Cuba.

AUGUST 2

Return to Tampico - travel to Mexico/US border.

AUGUST 3

Reverse Challenge, cross back into the US.

Ways you can get involved:

Come as a caravanista – contact us for an application form

Recruit other caravanistas –Distribute our
brochure and get others to request an application

Get involved locally – help host a caravan event
in your community – email us to get a local
contact - if there isn't one, you or your
organization can take the initiative to host the caravan!

Collect material aid - let us know so we can send
you the aid information packet.

Make a financial donation.

Checks or money orders should be made out to IFCO
(write Caravan only in memo line) and mailed to
our New York office. For credit card donations
simply click on the Donate-now button on our
website
<http://www.pastorsforpeace.org>www.pastorsforpeace.org
and follow the instructions, or call our office.

Donations are tax-deductible

Pastors for Peace is a project of the
Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization

418 W. 145th St.

New York, NY 10031

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]


IFCO/PASTORS FOR PEACE
418 West 145th Street, 3-FL.
New York NY 10031
tel: [phone] - fax [phone] - e-mail [e-mail]