The CDRs -- created in response to sabotage bombings and attacks carried out by counter-revolutionaries and agents of U.S. imperialism.  

Havana, September 28 (RHC)-- Cuba today celebrates the 64th anniversary of the creation of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) -- the largest mass organization on the island.

The CDRs bring together the majority of the population aged 14 and older who wish to work for the benefit of the community.

They are structured throughout the country, both in rural and urban areas, and are formed based on the place of residence, in cities by blocks or multi-family buildings and in the countryside.  

The historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, announced on September 28, 1960, in a speech in front of the former Presidential Palace (now the Museum of the Revolution), the birth of the CDRs, to defend society in each neighborhood -- in response to sabotage bombings and attacks carried out by counter-revolutionaries and agents of U.S. imperialism.  

Since their foundation, the Committees have been active in combating crime, illegal activities, corruption, drugs and social indiscipline.

In addition to mobilizing society in the tasks of defending and achieving Socialism, the CDRs had, among other objectives, participation in the National Literacy Campaign and vaccinations against polio and various diseases.

Their cooperation is decisive in eradicating disease-transmitting vectors, collecting raw materials for recycling, cleaning and beautifying neighborhoods, schools and social centers, in addition to facilitating care for children, the elderly, and the electoral processes of People's Power.