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Cáritas Cuba reported this Friday that it has executed 82% of the first donation of 3 million dollars granted by the Government of the United States to assist families affected by the hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, which made landfall on October 29, 2025.
According to the report published by the organization, the remaining 18% of that first phase will be received this month, which will complete the delivery to 8,800 families in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Las Tunas, Bayamo, and Guantánamo.
The distributed goods include food kits, hygiene kits, and household kits, channeled through Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and distributed by the diocesan network of the Catholic Church without the intervention of the Cuban government.
The distribution began on January 14 of this year with the first cargo flight to Holguín airport. Since then, five additional containers arrived at the port of Santiago de Cuba in April, along with a ship that had docked in February with seven containers.
The aid prioritizes single mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities, the most vulnerable sectors among the over 2.2 million individuals affected by the cyclone.
Hurricane Melissa struck the region for six hours with winds of up to 195 km/h, causing massive landslides, damage to hospitals, and widespread power and water outages in areas that were already reeling from the impact of Hurricane Oscar and two earthquakes that occurred in 2024.
Cáritas Cuba noted that, upon concluding this first phase, the management of a second donation from the U.S. Government for an additional 6 million dollars will begin simultaneously, as announced by the Department of State on February 5th, raising the total commitment to 9 million dollars.
The announcement comes two days after the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, publicly downplayed the aid, describing it as "little bags of food and hygiene products."
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded last Wednesday that the U.S. is willing to send more humanitarian aid to Cuba, but the regime must allow it.
The operation is part of the work that CRS has been carrying out on the island since 1993. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba offered on October 30, 2025, to act as a distribution channel to ensure that resources reached the population directly, avoiding the structures of the Cuban government.
Cáritas Cuba specified in its report: "In this way, the execution of the first aid is completed, and at the same time, the management and execution of the new donation, which amounts to 6,000,000.00 USD and has been made for the same purpose by the Government of the United States, begins."
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