A ceremony held on Jan. 26 celebrated the achievements of Operation Miracle—a Cuban program providing free eye surgeries in Latin America that has now restored vision to over one million people.
The three-year-old program was developed within the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), a mutual cooperation agreement developed in response to the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The FTAA was intended to siphon wealth from Latin America into U.S. coffers. Originally signed between Cuba and Venezuela, ALBA has since expanded to include Bolivia, Nicaragua and Dominica.
The benefits of Operation Miracle have extended well beyond ALBA signatories. Dr. Elia Rosa Lemus Lago, a staff member of the Cuban Council of State, said the project has created a network of 49 ophthalmologic centers with 82 operating rooms in 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
