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The Government of the Principality of Asturias has strengthened its support for the Asturian community residing in Cuba following an institutional visit made this month and the launch of a grant program amounting to 500,000 euros, which is 40,000 euros more than the previous year.
The acting Director General of Emigration and Return Policies, Marcos Niño, traveled to the island accompanied by two social workers from the Emigration Service of the Principality to assess the needs of the Asturians living there firsthand.
The visit took place in a context of particular difficulty marked by the severe energy and economic crisis facing Cuba. The delegation held meetings in Havana, at the headquarters of the Federation of Asturian Associations in Cuba, and in Santa Clara, at the Canary House.
The purpose of the trip was to inform about the resources and programs promoted by the Principality of Asturias regarding emigration and return. Additionally, they directly recorded the main needs of Asturian emigrants on the island.
The call for individual aid 2026 is open until June 23 and is directed at Asturians and their first-degree descendants residing in Latin America who are in a vulnerable situation.
They can be requested by individuals over 65 years old, as well as individuals between 18 and 64 years old who are victims of gender-based violence or suffer from a serious illness or a permanent disability that prevents them from engaging in work activities.
The maximum general amount is 2,000 euros per beneficiary, although in Cuba the cap is set at 600 euros, given the specific economic context of the island and the restrictions of the Cuban financial system.
In the latest resolved call, the Principality granted 505 subsidies in Cuba totaling 156,232.28 euros to cover basic subsistence needs such as food, medicine, and essential expenses.
Cuba has historically been the main destination for Asturian aid to emigrants: in the 2024 call, 606 out of the total 833 beneficiaries in Latin America were Cuban, and they received 149,338 euros of the 440,000 euros distributed throughout the region.
In April 2026, Asturias also launched, for the first time, a specific aid line for emigrants over 65 years old in Latin America, endowed with 100,000 euros and with a maximum amount of up to 6,000 euros per beneficiary, intended to cover expenses for elder care homes.
The institutional trip took place at a time when Cuba is experiencing blackouts that affect up to 46% of the territory during peak demand hours, with cuts exceeding 15 hours a day in some areas. This situation has worsened since January 2026 due to new U.S. oil sanctions that have deepened an electrical deficit of 1,440 megawatts.
The Asturian community in Cuba, described as "one of the largest and most historically rooted" in all of Latin America, is the result of migration waves from the 19th and 20th centuries, and it continues to be the group that benefits the most from the social programs of the Principality abroad.
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