Cuba will receive two solidarity brigades from Australia-New Zealand and Central America in January, according to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

The Cruz del Sur group, made up of 13 Australians and New Zealanders, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its foundation here with a programme of volunteer work, exchanges with the population and tours of centres of historical, scientific and cultural interest in various provinces, the Cuban News Agency reported.

During their stay, the activists will learn about the effects on the economy and daily life of the US blockade and the inclusion of Cuba on the State Department’s list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

Likewise, the 19 members of the second Central American Brigade of Solidarity with Cuba, from Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Panama, will learn about the national reality and visit Havana, Artemisa, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus.

The accommodation base for the Central Americans will be the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp in Caimito, where they will also carry out volunteer work, according to ICAP.