“It was all that arrived”: What a Cuban child received from the donation from Mexico

Products received by the family of journalist Vladimir TurróPhoto © Facebook / Vladimir Turró

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The assistance received by a Cuban child from the donation sent by Mexico to the Island was reduced, in at least one publicly reported case, to a package of María cookies and two cans of tuna, or to a package of cookies and a can of vegetables.

According to reported by the journalist from CubaNet Vladimir Turró Páez, this shipment was the first humanitarian cargo that arrived from Mexican territory in February.

Turró reported on Facebook that what was provided to his young son was far from the extent of the aid officially announced.

"This is what they just gave my little son from the donation by the government of Mexico, watch out, this was from the first ship that arrived, and today is when it gets here, and there have already been four ships," wrote the reporter in a post accompanied by an image showing two cans of tuna and a package of María cookies.

In an extension of his statements to CubaNet, the journalist insisted that the aid delivered in his neighborhood, Calleja, corresponded to the first maritime shipment from Mexico.

According to what he explained, that information was provided to him by workers at the warehouse where the donation was collected.

According to his testimony, in the case of his younger son, who is four years old, the delivery consisted of "a pack of María cookies and two cans of tuna," while for his other son, who is 12, it was "a pack of María cookies and a can of vegetables."

The reporter himself summed up the delivery with a sharp phrase: "It was everything that arrived."

The complaint adds that in order to access the aid, it was necessary to provide the details of the minors.

Turró also stated that, according to an employee at the warehouse, the modules would have been divided by age groups.

"The assistance is for young children and for children between the ages of seven and 13," she noted.

He also added that assistance would be provided to the elderly, although he mentioned that he could not specify the details of that distribution.

The case presented by the journalist contrasts with the total volume of shipments announced by Mexico to Cuba in recent months.

Thousands of tons of food for Cuba

Mexico has sent at least five ships to the Island since February 2026, carrying over 2,000 tons in total of food, medicines, hygiene products, and solar panels.

In that context, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the dispatch of a new ship, operated by the Secretariat of the Navy, that would depart from Veracruz with fuel and provisions.

That announcement came amidst a severe energy crisis in Cuba, where blackouts last up to 30 hours in some areas and the electricity generation deficit ranges from 1,000 to 2,040 megawatts.

According to the Cuban Deputy Minister himself, the Island had been without diesel, fuel oil, or other fuels for three months.

In February, Mexico sent a shipment of humanitarian aid consisting of nearly 1,200 tons of supplies, transported on two ships of the Mexican Navy that departed from the port of Veracruz bound for Cuba.

According to an official statement, the shipment was carried out “in compliance with the instruction of Doctor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, constitutional president of the United Mexican States,” with the aim of supporting the Cuban civilian population.

The Navy Secretariat reported that the logistical support ships Papaloapan and Huasteco departed from Veracruz with a total of 1,193 tons of supplies destined for the civilian population of the island.

The bulk of that aid consisted of staple foods.

The first shipment, which arrived in Havana on February 12th, consisted of 814 tons. The second and subsequent deliveries occurred amid a deep economic crisis on the Island, marked by power outages, fuel shortages, a semi-paralyzed transportation system, and a sustained increase in prices.

Additionally, the shipment coincided with discussions between Sheinbaum's government and Washington to try to resume the oil supply to Cuba.

Based on all that information, Turró's complaint focuses not on the announced volume of aid, but on the actual scale of what a lesser beneficiary ultimately received, at least in his area.

In their specific case, what arrived for their children was a minimal package consisting of cookies and canned goods, despite the fact that the Mexican shipments were officially presented as large-scale deliveries intended to support the Cuban civilian population.

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.