The Spanish NGO Open Arms announced that it has over six tons of humanitarian aid on board the vessel Astral, heading to Havana, in what would be its second shipment to the island in a few months.
The announcement was made by its founder, Óscar Camps, through the organization's Instagram account, where he explained the reasons behind this new journey.
"When you've seen it, when you know exactly what is needed and you know that you can do something, you can no longer say that you didn't know. That's why we return," Camps stated in a video posted on social media.
The new shipment includes medical supplies, medications, dialysis supplies, powdered milk, food, diapers, and school materials. Everything is already loaded onto the Astral.
Camps acknowledged the limits of the mission but defended its purpose: "I know we are not going to solve the problems of Cuba, but we can solve some problems for some people."
The founder of Open Arms summarized the philosophy guiding the initiative with a question: "What can you change today with what you have? We have a boat, and there are people on the other side who need what we can bring."
The recent journey of the Astral to Cuba
The first journey of the Astral, part of the campaign "Heading to Cuba," departed from Barcelona on May 10, 2026, stopping in Valencia, Málaga, Cádiz, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The ship arrived in Havana on July 19 with over seven tons of aid.
That first delivery was primarily intended for the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital and included 22 photovoltaic solar panels and batteries to provide energy autonomy for the pediatric ICU, a mission supported by more than 150 organizations and funded with more than 160,000 euros contributed by over 4,000 donors.
During that first trip, Camps harshly described the situation in Cuban hospitals: "What is happening in Cuba is a medieval siege," he stated, pointing out that prolonged power outages render incubators, ventilators, and dialysis machines useless, directly impacting patients' lives.
In the announcement of the new shipment, Camps emphasized that the photovoltaic panels delivered in the first trip are already being installed to operate the pediatric ICU of the hospital.
"We're back, because if we can make it a little less difficult, we have to try," concluded Camps.
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