"Without intermediaries or bureaucracy": NGO director allocates 50 thousand dollars to victims in Santiago de Cuba

The Swiss Mark Kuster, founder and director of the NGO Camaquito, announced that he will allocate $50,000 from personal funds and those of close friends for the repair of homes belonging to families affected by Hurricane Melissa in the province of Santiago de Cuba.

In a message posted this Wednesday on his Facebook account, Kuster expressed his solidarity with those affected and stated that the assistance will be managed directly.

"The pain is great. I stand with you. I cannot help everyone, but I will personally invest, along with friends, 50,000 USD in the repair of homes for people in the Camaquito area in Santiago de Cuba," he emphasized.

Furthermore, it was clear: "Without intermediaries and without bureaucracy."

Kuster's announcement comes amidst a humanitarian crisis that is hitting the eastern part of Cuba particularly hard, where thousands of families have lost their roofs, belongings, and sources of livelihood following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Camaquito, an organization founded in 2001, develops social projects in Cuba focused on education, sports, health, culture, and the environment, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable communities.

Although it is headquartered in Camagüey, in recent years it has expanded its scope of action to other provinces in the country.

Kuster emphasized that the aid would be delivered without going through official structures, clearly referring to the state bureaucracy that often hinders or diverts resources donated by international entities or individuals.

In the midst of institutional collapse following Hurricane Melissa, various citizen and community support initiatives have emerged to assist those affected in eastern Cuba.

Other acts of solidarity have also come to the forefront. From Las Tunas, a group of bicycle taxi drivers helped evacuate dozens of people in Granma, including children and the elderly, due to the lack of official transportation.

For its part, the Methodist Church of Cuba continued to distribute food and medicine in devastated areas that have so far been overlooked by the state resource distribution.

Figures from the social and cultural spheres have also mobilized, such as Ja Rulay and Belissa Cruz, who traveled with donations to vulnerable communities, providing food, water, and essential products.

From Havana, the platform "Huellas" has gathered supplies and resources for those affected, as reported in a campaign aimed at channeling aid without state interference.