Bogotá, August 21 (RHC)-- A group of 43 young people, out of the 200 Colombians who will begin studying at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in the upcoming school year, arrived in Cuba on Tuesday.

Their travel to the Caribbean island is part of an initiative by the Cuban government to support the reincorporation process after the 2016 signing of the Peace Agreement between the Colombian State and the ex-guerrilla group FARC-EP.

Before their departure from Bogota, Enrique Tamayo, political counselor at the island's embassy in Colombia, urged them to take advantage of the opportunity given by Cuba to pursue a career in medicine, to overcome any adversity and to return home as doctors.

“A free medical scholarship in the world today is very hard to find,” Tamayo told them during a ceremony at El Dorado International Airport.  He also said that the remaining 57 students will be leaving for Cuba from August 21st to the 24th.