The organizations Sodepaz and Medicuba España recently produced 13 solar concentration cookers in a workshop held in Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, destined for schools in Santiago de Cuba that serve children without parental care, as reported by Sodepaz on their Facebook profile.
The workshop took place in the shared space of both organizations and featured two instructors and ten participants who successfully built all 13 devices in just one day.
The kitchens are made of cardboard and aluminum foil, are detachable, and easy to transport.
For its operation, a dark metal pot and a glass container are needed to create the greenhouse effect required to concentrate solar heat, Sodepaz explained in its publication.
At the end of the workshop, two stoves were tested in the patio of the venue, and it was confirmed that the water reached boiling point in just a few minutes.
"Thanks to this system, it is possible to cook food using only solar energy, without the need for electricity, gas, or firewood," noted Cubadebate in its coverage of the news.
“The kitchens will be sent in July to schools in Santiago de Cuba for children without parental support,” the organization confirmed.
Nationally, it is estimated that about 2,500 minors are living in homes without parental care in Cuba, with the state only covering the most basic needs.
The initiative combines international cooperation, sustainability, and citizen participation, and is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the 2030 Agenda, which aims to ensure universal access to affordable energy and clean cooking technologies for the 2.3 billion people who still lack them.
The arrival of solar cookers made from cardboard and aluminum foil to meet basic food needs in Cuban schools illustrates the extent to which the energy crisis has transformed daily life on the island.
What is presented in other contexts as an ecological or educational technology, in Cuba becomes an emergency tool due to the inability to access electricity, gas, or fuel reliably.
Mixed reactions on social media
The announcement of the workshop generated numerous reactions.
The most critical opinions highlighted the background of the news. Some commentators questioned whether the solution to meet basic needs in Cuba should involve cooking with devices made from cardboard and aluminum foil.
Others argued that the fact that foreign organizations have to send solar cookers to Cuban schools reflects the accumulated deterioration of the national energy infrastructure after decades of poor economic management and dependence on external political allies.
Among the positive comments, some users congratulated the organizers and believed that this type of initiative should be expanded within Cuba.
"It would be good if they provided guidance in Cuba to entrepreneurs and institutions to make its implementation possible,” wrote an internet user, highlighting the practical potential of the technology.
Others defended the project as a concrete response to the everyday difficulties faced by millions of Cubans.
The debate reflected two opposing views.
While some view these kitchens as an example of resilience, creativity, and international solidarity in the face of an emergency situation, others interpret them as evidence of the profound economic and technological regression of the island, where the state's inability to guarantee basic services has forced thousands of families to resort to alternative cooking methods typical of humanitarian crisis contexts.
The context: Cuba without electricity or fuel
The project arrives at the worst energy moment in Cuba in decades.
In 2026, the electricity generation deficit has consistently exceeded 2,000 megawatts, with blackouts lasting between 19 and 22 hours daily in Havana and in the provinces, respectively.
On May 14, a record deficit of 2,174 MW was recorded, affecting 70% of the country.
The crisis worsened after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, which cut the Venezuelan supply of between 25,000 and 35,000 barrels of crude oil per day, along with the simultaneous suspension of shipments from Mexico, depriving Cuba of 44% of its oil imports.
In light of the collapse, Miguel Díaz-Canel himself requested on March 30 to ensure “materials for cooking, from charcoal to firewood”, making the use of alternative fuels an explicit public policy.
In that scenario, Cubans have turned to solar cookers as a means of survival in the face of prolonged blackouts. In May, a private store in Centro Habana was selling solar parabolic cookers imported from China for 135 dollars
A trajectory of cooperation with Cuba
Sodepaz, founded on September 28, 1986, and based in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, along with Medicuba España—part of the MediCuba-Europe network, which is present in 13 European countries—has a longstanding history of collaboration with the island.
In 2025, they jointly sent 13 containers to Cuba, including one 40-foot container in March of that year, valued at 135,000 euros, destined for Santiago de Cuba, with the freight funded by the City Council of Rivas-Vaciamadrid.
The new donation arrives at a time when thousands of Cubans have normalized cooking with charcoal, firewood, alcohol, or solar energy to cope with the shortcomings of a collapsed electrical system.
While supportive organizations emphasize the environmental and community value of these technologies, the necessity of relying on them to meet basic needs highlights the seriousness of an energy crisis that the Cuban government has not been able to resolve and that continues to deteriorate the quality of life for the population.
Filed under: