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Amid blackouts that stretch into the early morning and a scarcity that tightens more each day, some Cuban families received two bags of food that arrived at their doorsteps with labels that read "Made in Mexico."
Guillermo Beltrán, a 70-year-old single father living in the Plaza municipality with his 13 and 16-year-old daughters, was one of the beneficiaries. On Thursday, he received rice, beans, amaranth, cookies, oil, sardines, and canned peaches, as part of a shipment of humanitarian aid sent by the Mexican government.
“It means tremendous joy because the situation has made it difficult for us. I feel very grateful,” Beltrán told the Associated Press (AP). In an island where power outages are daily and obtaining basic food has become a constant battle, the gesture carried significance that goes beyond the bags delivered.
The aid arrived in Havana aboard two ships from the Mexican Navy that transported more than 800 tons of food and personal hygiene products. According to AP, there are still 1,500 tons of powdered milk and beans to be shipped in the coming days.
Cuban authorities assured that the products will be allocated to vulnerable families with underweight children or elderly individuals in provinces such as Mayabeque, Artemisa, and Havana. In Beltrán's case, the bags were brought directly by the manager of his grocery store, an unusual scene in a system where it is normal to wait in long lines without guarantees of finding what one is looking for.
“People are very grateful for these donations,” Roberto Román, who serves 1,780 consumers distributed across 850 families in his area, told AP.
The shipment occurs at a particularly tense time for the island. The economic crisis, shortages, and blackouts have worsened in recent weeks. Cuba produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs, and energy restrictions have left streets nearly empty, shortened workdays, disrupted interprovincial transportation, and even flight cancellations due to lack of fuel.
The Mexican aid was announced days earlier by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who confirmed that she would send food and supplies requested by the Cuban government. Although she ruled out sending oil for now, she assured that humanitarian support would continue.
For families like Beltrán's, however, geopolitics takes a back seat to daily emergencies. “Last night we were without power until late, and this morning again… it's inhumane,” lamented the Havana father as he described the long hours without electricity.
In a Cuba marked by uncertainty, where the ration book is no longer sufficient and the informal market imposes impossible prices for many retirees, a bag of rice and beans can become a relief, a momentary respite, and, as he himself summarized it, a “tremendous joy.”
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