Related videos:
The Canary Islands Government has launched a humanitarian aid initiative aimed at the 70,000 Canarians and their descendants residing in Cuba, in coordination with the Government of Spain, to address the severe supply crisis affecting the island.
According to Radio Televisión Canaria, the regional government is distributing essential goods kits among the beneficiaries, while both administrations have signed a strategic collaboration agreement to expand the scope of assistance this year.
The General Director of Foreign Relations of the Government of Canary Islands, Miossoty Paradelo, confirmed that citizens now have access to institutional food packages, which address the most pressing needs of thousands of households across the entire Cuban territory.
One of the main obstacles to channeling aid is that numerous Spanish financial entities refuse to operate with Cuba, which prevents beneficiaries from regularly cashing their grants.
As an alternative solution, beneficiaries receive a portion of the capital through a special prepaid card that allows them to make purchases of food and basic goods at selected establishments.
The Cuban-Spanish citizen Raúl Viso Zurita explained the details of the mechanism: "The classic card costs four American dollars," and the user pays an extra dollar "for the deposit management," receiving the remaining amount in cash.
The crisis that prompts this intervention is the most serious that Cuba has faced in decades. The Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, declared on May 14 that the island had run out of "oil" and "diesel," experiencing blackouts of between 20 and 22 hours daily.
Other Spanish autonomous communities have also activated support mechanisms. Asturias allocated 500,000 euros in its 2026 call for emigrants and their descendants in Latin America, with a limit of 600 euros per beneficiary in Cuba due to financial restrictions.
Andalucía granted 150,000 euros in aid to descendants on the island in March 2026.
The link between the Canary Islands and Cuba is historic. In 1862, the Canarians numbered around 48,000 on the island, representing 41.5% of the total Hispanic population, a diaspora that left a lasting mark on Cuban family networks that today are among the most vulnerable to the regime's collapse.
The agreement signed between both governments aims to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches as many compatriots as possible throughout 2026, in a context where, according to reports from Villa Clara, "the supply booklet has practically collapsed as a means of subsistence."
Filed under: