A new shipment of humanitarian aid from the United States government landed this Thursday at Abel Santamaría International Airport in Santa Clara, headed for the Diocese of Cienfuegos.
Cáritas Cuba reported that the shipment was received by Father Manel Homar Toboso, the general vicar of the Diocese of Cienfuegos, and by Ana Isabel Palenque Guillemí, director of Cáritas Cienfuegos.
As in previous deliveries, the shipment includes 700 food kits and 700 hygiene product kits, which will start to be distributed immediately through the Parish of Lajas and its communities.
The volunteers from the parish Caritas will take on direct delivery to homes previously identified as having food insecurity and difficulties in accessing water.
The selection criteria prioritize the most vulnerable sectors: adults over 60 years old, people with disabilities or bedridden, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children under five years old.
This shipment arrives one day after the United States Embassy in Cuba announced new shipments for five provinces: Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and Pinar del Río.
The diplomatic representation reported that it met with Carmen María Nodal Martínez, the director of Cáritas Cuba, to coordinate the arrival of the upcoming shipments, and emphasized that "it appreciates Cáritas's efforts to support the people."
The shipment to Cienfuegos is part of the humanitarian program of 100 million dollars approved by the U.S. administration, of which 60 million is funneled through the Cuban Catholic Church —via Cáritas Cuba and Catholic Relief Services— and the remaining 40 million through other independent organizations.
The Church has clarified that Cáritas does not receive those funds in cash: the money is allocated to purchasing products in the United States and covering the distribution logistics, ensuring that the Cuban State does not intervene at any stage of the process.
The program officially started on July 21, when the first shipment left Miami with nearly 18 tons of supplies, and the initial local deliveries were made in Bejucal and Alquízar.
At the beginning of September, a similar shipment arrived in Santa Clara destined for families in Quemado de Güines and Rancho Veloz, in Villa Clara. Ambassador Mike Hammer visited that province from September 13 to 15 to personally oversee the distribution.
The shipment this Thursday to the Pearl of the South represents the expansion of the program into the southern region. The Diocese of Cienfuegos encompasses the homonymous province and the municipality of Trinidad, located in Sancti Spíritus, and has 22 parishes.
It is estimated that the total program will benefit between 100,000 and 120,000 families across Cuba, although the bishop of Santa Clara, Arturo González Amador, warned from the outset that the scope is limited: "This is humanitarian aid, not a permanent social assistance project."
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