SEVERAL technical officials from Cuba are expected to arrive in Guyana in the weeks ahead as a facility designed to assist disabled persons is nearing fruition.

The project , which is funded by the government of Guyana and which will benefit other CARICOM countries is expected to commence with 8 to 10 technical officials from Cuba venturing to these shores to operationalise the project over the course of a two-year period.

The facility is expected to be housed near the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) at Turkeyen and will among other things, provide diagnoses for children with disabilities. Cuban Ambassador to Guyana, Julio César González Marchante , told members of the media on Thursday at the Cuban embassy on High Street in Kingston that the details surrounding the setting up of the project are being finalised.

“We hope that at the end of the year we will start it”, he said, noting that the technical officials, including medical professionals, will arrive here before the end of this year. He said the initial two years will be utilised as a period of evaluation for future assistance from Cuba on the project.

Ambassador Marchante said that the facility, which was conceptualised some five years ago during a regional meeting of CARICOM leaders, was initially intended for children with educational needs associated with disability. However, the target group may be widened.” It will expand it a little, we will decide how prepare it “, he added.

An agreement on the project is expected to be inked between the Cubans and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, while the Ministries of Education and Health will be working along with the project.

President David Granger and Ambassador Marchante met in April this year and the project was discussed at the forum. According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, the ambassador explained that through the regional project, Cuba will provide technical assistance, Guyana will be the host country/home of the centre and CARICOM will be the link, through which other regional jurisdictions will benefit.

According to the release, Ambassador Marchante said oftentimes children with special medical and educational needs are hastily bracketed as disabled without any proper diagnosis. He explained at the time that there are instances where a child whose hearing is impaired could lead a normal life with just the help of a simple hearing device, rather than having that child placed under the ‘special needs’ category. This, he said, is the reason why effective diagnosis is important and it is one of the areas in which the centre will specialise, the release further noted.

Ambassador Marchante said on Thursday that the project is a signal of good relations between Cuba and Guyana, as he referred to President Granger’s address to the United Nations General Assembly last month, when he called for the lifting of the embargo imposed on the Fidel Castro administration.

Ambassador Marchante pointed to the areas of cooperation between Guyana and the Spanish-speaking island nation on Thursday. He said that over the past 14 years, some 200 Cubans have been working here, and reciprocally some 758 doctors graduated through the scholarship programme between the two countries while persons have also benefited academically in other areas of training.

According to Ambassador Marchante , Cuba has noted the tourism potential of Guyana and is willing to establish areas of cooperation in that regard, as he listed several regional airlines which operate flights connected to these shores.

“We know of Guyana’s ability to do things, they need to continue developing that “, he said of the tourism sector here.