ABOUT
Franco, Jake and Hunter Noval created the Victorino Noval Foundation in the name of their late grandfather, Victorino Noval, Sr., who was born in Asturias, Spain, and died Los Angeles, California, May 7, 2010.
Victorino Noval, Sr. moved to Cuba at the age of 18, prior to the revolution led by Fidel Castro. Opposed to the revolution, he collaborated with the U.S. government to smuggle arms that would be provided to local opponents of the revolution as a part of the Bay of Pigs invasion. After the Cuban exile army was crushed by Cuban Revolutionary Army, Victorino drove a truck full of men and weapons and crashed it through the front gate of the Uruguayan Embassy in Havana, and from there fled the country to the US.
Disinformation was used to cause the U.S. to suspect Victorino’s pro-democracy movement in the U.S., limiting his effectiveness, but not his desire for change in Cuba. He turned his efforts from fighting Fidel Castro to developing real estate, and created dozens of successful projects, including offices, residences, and shopping centers, primarily in California.
His dreamt of a transformed Cuba that would have normal diplomatic relations with the U.S. and that the two countries would reconcile, build trust and mutual respect through confidence building measures and projects.
Projects of the Victorino Noval Foundation include:
* Publications related to ending the U.S. embargo of Cuba
* Grassroots information campaigns
* Highlighting the embargo with media attention.