Recycling for freedom

I met a young man at the Human Rights and Cyber Dissidents Conference in Dallas a few weeks ago that I was duly impressed with. A young Cuban-American college student by the name of Miguel Cruz who was there from Raices de Esperanza for a specific reason.

Now, I know we don’t see eye to eye with the Roots of Hope kids on every issue, but Miguel was there pitching a special program that the Raices kids came up with that I truly believe can be effective and worthwhile. It’s called Cell Phones for Cuba.

If your household is anything like mine, I’m sure you must have an old cell phone or three that you no longer use lying around somewhere in a drawer or a box in a closet or shed. The Mrs and I have at least a dozen old cellphones that we’ve accumulated over the years. They’re basically useless for us but somehow, it just seems a shame to throw them away. So we put them in a box somewhere and forget about them until we’re looking for something else and find that darned box full of old cellphones just taking up precious space.

Well, realizing this, the Roots of Hope kids came up with a plan to recycle these phones while also helping the people of Cuba with the one thing they truly need: communication and access to information.

Cell Phones for Cuba takes old cellphone donations and using a recycling entity here in the States, uses the moneys generated from the usable parts of the old phones to purchase new, unlocked phones that work in Cuba. And then through various entities and other means, get said new cell phones into Cuba and into the hands of the Cuban people.

This is important, folks. One of the more daunting issues we have with respect to the situation in Cuba is the basic lack of communication and lack of access to information not just from the outside world, but within Cuba itself. Most Cubans in Pinar del Rio or Bayamo don’t know what the heck is going on in Havana and many dont have the vaguest idea who the Biscets or Farinas or Zapata Tamayos are.

The first step in the empowerment of the Cuban people is that they be able to communicate with themselves. And we all know there is no greater personal communication tool right now than the cell phone.

Yes, I know that said cellphones will require service that must be paid for and that said service is run by the regime. Unfortunately, given the importance and need for said communication, it’s a bit of a bitter pill we have to swallow. Yet, there is a consolation: in essence, the regime will be providing a service that works against itself.

So, if you have any old clunker cellphones laying around, consider donating them to Cell Phones for Cuba. It’s a more than worthy cause.

And, if you’re planning on attending Cuba Nostalgia this year, we will be a collection point for old cellphones for Cell Phones for Cuba. Bring all the old Motorollas and Samsungs and Nokias or any other cell phones you got. We’ll gladly take them and you’ll have put your old trash to good use: the empowerment of the Cuban people.

Update: The Cell Phones for Cuba fan page on Facebook is right here. Join up and help spread the word.