BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2025--
Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc. - HITN is proud to announce the premiere of Barcos de esperanza ( The Surgery Ship ), airing exclusively in Spanish every Monday at 9:00 PM ET/PT on HITN.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250919013001/en/
A co-presentation by HITN, South Florida PBS's Health Channel, and Mercy Ships, Barcos de esperanza is a captivating eight-part series that chronicles the extraordinary work of volunteers aboard Mercy Ships, a non-profit organization that operates floating hospitals in Africa. The program offers an intimate look at the dedicated doctors, nurses, and support staff who provide essential surgical care and medical training to those in desperate need, offering a renewed sense of hope and a brighter future.
To celebrate the Spanish-language premiere on HITN, the network has partnered with Esperanza, a cornerstone of Philadelphia’s Hispanic community, to host an exclusive screening event. This collaboration highlights HITN ’s commitment to bringing stories of service, compassion, and global impact directly to Spanish-speaking audiences. Attendees at the Esperanza Arts Center will view the first episode in Spanish and participate in a discussion about the remarkable humanitarian work featured in the series.
For Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S., the premiere of Barcos de esperanza carries a special resonance. Latino communities often face barriers to healthcare, and presenting these stories in Spanish makes the mission of Mercy Ships accessible and relatable. The series highlights how empathy, volunteerism, and collective action can drive meaningful change both abroad and at home, showing the profound impact healthcare can have on individuals and communities.
This screening event at Esperanza Arts Center exemplifies HITN ’s commitment to connecting with the Hispanic community. By partnering with Esperanza, HITN is extending the series’ message of service and compassion into a tangible community experience. Together, HITN and Esperanza inspire viewers not only to witness transformative humanitarian work but also to consider how they can contribute their time and talents to strengthening their own communities.
"It is with immense pride that we premiere Barcos de esperanza on HITN, a truly remarkable series that celebrates the inspiring work of the people on Mercy Ships and the profound impact of their humanitarian efforts," said Michael D. Nieves, HITN’s President and CEO. “We are profoundly grateful to the Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr., for opening the doors of the remarkable Esperanza Arts Center to celebrate this event. Philadelphia is a vital market for HITN, and we are excited to launch this groundbreaking series among such a dynamic, local Hispanic community.”
“ Barcos de esperanza reminds us that faith and compassion can change lives. Esperanza is proud to bring that message to our city, as it echoes our own mission of bringing hope to communities in need. This series is more than a story; it is an invitation that calls each of us to ask: How can I use my gifts to bring strength to others?” said Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr., Founder and CEO of Esperanza.
"We are honored to partner with HITN to bring these stories of hope and healing to Spanish-speaking audiences," said Caleb Read, VP of Advancement at Mercy Ships. "This series captures the spirit of service that drives our volunteers and shows how people from all over the world unite to create lasting change that extends far beyond our hospital ships."
Event Details
Tuesday, September 23, at 7:00 PM
Esperanza Arts Center (Teatro Esperanza – Ground Floor)
Screening & Q&A: 7:00–8:30 PM
Arrival: Please arrive no later than 6:45 PM.
Address: 4261 N 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140
GPS Address:409 W Bristol Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140 (use Esperanza’s main entrance)
Details/RSVP:https://tinyurl.com/barcosdeesperanza
About HITN
HITN -TV is the leading Spanish-language media company that offers educational and cultural programming for the whole family. It reaches more than 35 million homes in the United States and Puerto Rico through DIRECTV, AT&T U-verse, AT&T TV, DISH Network, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum, Mediacom, CenturyLink, Prism, Altice, Liberty Cable, and Claro (Puerto Rico). Download the HITN GO app available on Apple, Android, Apple TV, and Roku ® with a subscription. For more information, visit www. HITN.org and follow @ HITN tv on social platforms.
About Esperanza
Esperanza was founded in 1986 to serve “the least of these” (the underserved and marginalized) and to strengthen Hispanic communities and all who live within them. Over nearly four decades, Esperanza has grown into a $114 million organization with more than 800 employees serving approximately 35,000 people annually through K-14 education, community and economic development, the arts, and social change programs. Esperanza is building an “opportunity community” in Hunting Park – a place marked by decent and affordable housing, increasing prosperity, growing businesses, excellent schools, safe streets, creative spaces, and robust community life, where anyone at any income level can thrive. For more information, visit www.esperanza.us
About Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that deliver free surgeries and other healthcare services to those with little access to safe medical care. An international faith-based organization, Mercy Ships has focused entirely on partnering with African nations for the past three decades. Working with in-country partners, Mercy Ships also provides training to local healthcare professionals and supports the construction of in-country medical infrastructure to leave a lasting impact.
Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer professionals from over 60 countries serve on board the world’s two largest non-governmental hospital ships, the Africa Mercy® and the Global Mercy ™. Professionals such as surgeons, dentists, nurses, health trainers, cooks, and engineers dedicate their time and skills to accelerate access to safe surgical and anesthetic care. Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has offices in 16 countries as well as an Africa Service Center in Dakar, Senegal.
Barcos de esperanza airing in Spanish Mondays 9:00 PM ET/PT on HITN
HAVANA (AP) — Trumpets and drums played solemnly at Havana's airport Thursday as white-gloved Cuban soldiers marched out of a plane carrying urns with remains of the 32 Cuban officers killed during a stunning U.S. attack on Venezuela.
Nearby, thousands of Cubans lined one of Havana’s most iconic streets to await the bodies as the island remained under threat by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The soldiers' shoes clacked as they marched stiff-legged into the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and placed the urns on a long table next to the pictures of those killed. Tens of thousands of people paid their respects, saluting the urns or holding their hand over their heart, many of them drenched from standing outside in a heavy downpour.
Thursday’s mass funeral was only one of a handful that the Cuban government has organized over the past half-century.
The soldiers were part of the security detail of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during the Jan. 3 raid on his residence to seize the former leader and bring him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.
State television also showed images of more than a dozen people it said were wounded combatants from the raid, accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez after arriving Wednesday night from Venezuela. Some were in wheelchairs.
Tensions between Cuba and the U.S. have spiked, with Trump recently demanding that the Caribbean country make a deal with him before it is “too late.” He did not explain what kind of deal.
Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuela's money and oil. Experts warn that the abrupt end of oil shipments could be catastrophic for Cuba, which is already struggling with serious blackouts and a crumbling power grid.
Officials unfurled a massive flag at Havana's airport as President Miguel Díaz-Canel, clad in military garb, stood silent next to former President Raúl Castro, with what appeared to be the relatives of those killed looking on nearby.
Cuban Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas called the slain soldiers “heroes” of an anti-imperialist struggle spanning both Cuba and Venezuela. In an apparent reference to the U.S., he said the “enemy” speaks of “high-precision operations, of troops, of elites, of supremacy.
“We, on the other hand, speak of faces, of families who have lost a father, a son, a husband, a brother,” Álvarez said.
The events demonstrate that “imperialism may possess more sophisticated weapons; it may have immense material wealth; it may buy the minds of the wavering; but there is one thing it will never be able to buy: the dignity of the Cuban people,” he said.
Carmen Gómez, a 58-year-old industrial designer, was among the thousands of Cubans who lined a street where motorcycles and military vehicles thundered by with the remains of those killed.
“They are people willing to defend their principles and values, and we must pay tribute to them,” Gómez said, adding that she hopes no one invades her country. “It’s because of the sense of patriotism that Cubans have, and that will always unite us.”
The 32 military personnel ranged in age from 26 to 60 and were part of protection agreements between the two countries.
Officials in Cuba have said they expect a massive demonstration Friday across from the U.S. Embassy to protest the deaths.
“People are upset and hurt ... many do believe that the dead are martyrs” of a historic struggle against the United States, analyst and former diplomat Carlos Alzugaray told The Associated Press.
In October 1976, then-President Fidel Castro led a massive demonstration to bid farewell to the 73 people killed in the bombing of a civilian flight financed by anti-revolutionary leaders in the U.S. Most of the victims were Cuban athletes.
In December 1989, officials organized a ceremony to honor the more than 2,000 Cuban combatants who died in Angola during Cuba’s participation in a war that defeated the South African army.
In October 1997, memorial services were held following the arrival of the remains of guerrilla commander Ernesto “Che” Guevara and six of his comrades, who died in 1967.
The latest mass burial is critical to honor those slain, said José Luis Piñeiro, a 60-year-old doctor who lived for four years in Venezuela.
“I don’t think Trump is crazy enough to come and enter a country like this, ours, and if he does, he’s going to have to take an aspirin or some painkiller to avoid the headache he’s going to get,” Piñeiro said. “These were 32 heroes who fought him. Can you imagine an entire nation? He’s going to lose.”
The remains arrived a day after the U.S. announced $3 million in additional aid to help the island recover from the catastrophic Hurricane Melissa. The first flight took off on Wednesday, and a second flight was scheduled for Friday. A commercial vessel also will deliver food and other supplies.
Cuba had said on Wednesday that any contributions will be channeled through the government.
But U.S. State Department foreign assistance official Jeremy Lewin said Thursday that the U.S. was working with Cuba’s Catholic Church to distribute aid, as part of Washington's efforts to give assistance directly to the Cuban people.
“There’s nothing political about cans of tuna and rice and beans and pasta,” he said Thursday, warning that the Cuban government should not intervene or divert supplies. “We will be watching, and we will hold them accountable.”
Lewin said the Cuban government has a choice to: “Step down or better provide towards people.” Lewin added that “if there was no regime,” the U.S. would provide “billions and billions of dollars” in assistance, as well as investment and development: “That’s what lies on the other side of the regime for the Cuban people.”
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the U.S. government was “exploiting what appears to be a humanitarian gesture for opportunistic and politically manipulative purposes.”
Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
People line up outside the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces where the remains are on display of the Cuban officers who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro, as it sprinkles rain in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Military members line up outside the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces where the urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro, are on display in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Military members pay their last respects to Cuban officers who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces where the urns containing the remains are displayed during a ceremony in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A motorcade transports urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, through Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Soldiers carry urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Adalberto Roque /Pool Photo via AP)
A motorcade transports urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, through Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A motorcade transports urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, through Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
People line the streets of Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, to watch the motorcade carrying urns containing the remains of Cuban officers killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Workers fly the Cuban flag at half-staff at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune near the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in memory of Cubans who died two days before in Caracas, Venezuela during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
