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This is the story of the little tractor that could

In 2008 the Cuban government opened a window of opportunity for citizens to acquire assets. Five remote communities of approximately 1,200 people desperately needed a tractor to help them with their farming work. The villages also lacked public transportation and decent roads. With the financial support of PWRDF through the Cuban Council of Churches, Pastor Roberto Rodrigues and his community bought a Russian-made tractor.

The tractor was named Abriendo Caminos which means Opening Trails. And it has brought so many blesssings to Purialito, Pablo Perez, Poco de Petroleo, El Cinco and Barquero in the district of Placetas, the Province of Sancti Spíritus in Cuba.

Abriendo Caminos is a multi-tasker. With typical Cuban ingenuity, the community has created several types of carts to hitch to the tractor so it can be adjusted to the required tasks or functions. During the rainy season, it is impossible for children to walk through the muddy roads to school, so every morning, Abriendo Caminos – with Pastor Rodrigues at the wheel — dutifully picks up the children at a gathering point and takes them safely to school. On occasion, Abriendo Caminos has done ambulance duty in the middle of the night to take a sick patient to the nearest health centre eight kilometres away. And community gatherings would not be the same without Abriendo Caminos transporting people from place to place. Praises to Abriendo Caminos are plenty and generous from the people of the five communities, spread across a radius of 10 km. They say that Abriendo Caminos is the feet of the community. It takes them everywhere and keeps them close to each other.

After 10 years Abriendo Caminos is showing its age and a life of hard work! Throughout the years, coats of paint have tried to give it a face lift to keep a rejuvenated appearance, but there is only so much that a paint brush can do. Pastor Rodrigues and his community send a message of gratitude and friendship to their Canadian Anglican sisters and brothers for the gift of a little tractor that has helped their community so much.