Because it was a population that had been rescued from the worst misery, from the worst isolation. And it took them three days to reach Bataban . Children used to die there without a chance to reach the doctor, because from certain areas of the Zapata Swamp it took three days for anyone to reach civilization. I remember a conversation I had with some residents of that area, around the zone of Santo Tom s. There were dogs that starved to death while we didn't.
Man can withstand more than a dog.
That is the phrase of a resident of the Santo Tom s area. The literacy campaign that was being carried out in those places was a fantastic thing. It was one of the pilot areas of the literacy campaign. There are three hundred children of residents from the Zapata Swamp studying in Havana. And we have three hundred boys and girls studying in Havana.