The Spanish government approved a grant of 100,000 euros on October 14th for humanitarian assistance projects aimed at Cuban children and youth, focusing on nutrition, hygiene, and renewable energy, as reported in the Royal Decree 833/2026 published in the Official State Bulletin on Thursday, October 15th.
The regulation, which came into effect this Friday, designates Fundación Mundubat-Mundubat Fundazioa as the beneficiary, a Basque non-governmental organization based in Bilbao that has been working in Cuba since 1996.
Article 3.j of the decree states that the funds will be allocated "for the development of humanitarian assistance projects for the youth population in Cuba through the strengthening of nutrition, hygiene, and renewable energy programs."
The grant is part of a larger package of 3.56 million euros distributed among twelve entities by the Ministry of Youth and Childhood for the protection of vulnerable children and youth in various countries.
Before the funds reach their destination, the administrative procedure must be completed. Mundubat has a maximum period of ten business days from the entry into force of the decree to submit the application and the required documentation to the Institute of Youth.
Subsequently, the Secretary of State for Youth and Childhood has up to three months to decide and notify the grant.
Additionally, the single additional provision of the decree conditions the economic effectiveness of all commitments on the "effective entry into force of the additional allocation of consolidated credit" in the corresponding budget program.
Consequently, as of the date of publication of this regulation, there is no record of individual resolutions, disbursements, or specific actions initiated on the island.
The decree justifies the direct grant—without competitive bidding—because, according to its rationale, "it would not be possible to find a beneficiary entity with the same experience and territorial presence in the areas where the project is to be developed."
Mundubat has been operating in Cuba for three decades in areas such as habitat, agricultural production, and food sovereignty.
In 2026, a humanitarian emergency campaign was launched for the island, which includes the installation of photovoltaic systems with inverters and batteries for rural homes and agricultural cooperatives, distribution of hygiene kits, water collection and purification systems, and provision of basic food items such as grains, rice, and oil.
The subsidy arrives at a time of serious deterioration in the living conditions of Cuban children. According to data from the World Food Program, 48.5% of Cuban schoolchildren aged six to eleven did not receive food or snacks in their educational centers in 2026.
UNICEF reported that approximately 9% of the children on the island were experiencing severe food insecurity. The Cuban Minister of Food Industry, Alberto López Díaz, acknowledged that more than 100,000 children were not receiving their daily milk ration.
The energy crisis exacerbated the situation even further: power outages, which exceeded 20 hours a day in some areas, impacted school transportation, the cold chain for vaccines, and pediatric services.
The UN reported that over 11,000 children were waiting for surgeries postponed due to power outages. A primary school in Matanzas went without electricity for more than 23 days.
This grant is part of a broader pattern of Spanish cooperation with Cuba focused on the same three areas. The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) distributed 1,000 food and hygiene kits in Santiago de Cuba starting from April 1, and sent 18 photovoltaic systems for health centers.
In addition, the Spain-Cuba debt conversion program financed school meals for 12,677 children in 74 centers in the eastern provinces. Eligible expenses can be incurred between June 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027, as established in article 4.5 of the decree.
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