Amid the daily challenges faced by thousands of Cubans, a new gesture of humanitarian aid has arrived in the eastern part of the island, targeting some of the families most affected by the scarcity.
A shipment managed by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was delivered to Cáritas Cuba at the "Antonio Maceo" international airport in Santiago de Cuba, during an event that gathered representatives from the Church and the international organization.
The event was attended by Carmen María Nodal Martínez, director of Cáritas Cuba, along with officials from CRS, including Jennifer Poidaz, global vice president of Humanitarian Response, and Joseph Weber, project manager.
The donation includes 600 food and hygiene kits that will be distributed among affected families in the diocese of Holguín-Las Tunas, one of the regions most severely impacted by economic hardship.
Cáritas Cuba described the new donation as "a concrete gesture of Christian charity" that "testifies to the love and service of Christ by helping to alleviate the material needs of those who suffer the most."
This shipment is the latest in a series of humanitarian operations launched following Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba as a category 3 storm on October 29, 2025, with winds of up to 195 km/h.
The shipment chain began on January 14 with the first flight to Holguín Airport, and has included four cargo flights, a ship with seven containers that arrived at the port of Santiago de Cuba in February, and new air shipments in March.
In total, the operation has benefited around 6,000 families —approximately 24,000 people— in the eastern dioceses of the island.
All assistance is distributed through the Catholic Church and Caritas Cuba, deliberately avoiding any involvement from the Cuban regime.
The State Department was explicit about this: "This method has proven to be very effective in ensuring that the failed Cuban regime does not interfere with or divert assistance meant for those in need."
The Cuban government has criticized this mechanism, accusing Washington of "political manipulation" and demanding that aid be routed through state channels.
Jeremy Lewin, a senior aid official from the State Department, answered straightforwardly: "They have billions of dollars, but they aren’t using it to buy food for the average Cuban."
Filed under: