Right now, Cuba is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. As you can imagine, conditions on the island have quickly deteriorated, particularly since the ousting of Venezuela’s leaders in January. The political fallout has significantly impacted Cuba’s infrastructure, leading to a catastrophic collapse of the electric grid and widespread blackouts. These recent developments have terrified humanitarian workers, activists, and concerned citizens alike. That counts both Canadians who recently arrived to provide support.
Leanne Isaak and Elise Hjalmarson, pictured above, landed in Cuba this past Friday. They filled 14 suitcases with supplies like lifesaving medicine, solar equipment, multivitamins, adult diapers, surgical gloves, menstrual products and more. Their non-profit organization, One Shared Future Un Futuro Compartido, aims to alleviate some of the struggles facing the Cuban population. Isaak has completed almost a dozen treks to Cuba for his work with the track. As soon as she arrived she felt the urgency of the situation.
And we had an actual blackout in the early evening when we first got to our Airbnb, Isaak observed. Only to encounter yet another one from “our” reporters the next morning. “So you can see the frequency. This segment of the city, just a year prior, would typically receive no more than a few dozen power outages a year. This extreme disparity around air quality underscores the growing burdens people living there endure 24/7.
The 11 million people of Cuba suffer greatly in this context as food storage and preparation becomes more challenging every day with continuing fuel scarcity. U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to slap tariffs on any country that sells oil to Cuba further complicates matters. Now, Trump wants President Miguel Díaz-Canel to step down. He argues that if Díaz-Canel wants sanctions lifted, then he must release all political prisoners and introduce meaningful political and economic reforms.
As conditions grew more dire, many Cubans learned how to make the most out of sporadic flashes of electricity. Isaak explained that people scramble to complete essential tasks like cooking, charging phones, showering, and filling buckets with water whenever power is available. “People say, ‘I may not get power again for three days so I’m going to do everything that I need to do in this one or two-hour time-frame to prepare for the next chunk of time when I’m just going to try to keep going,’” she explained.
Though situations have been as dire as they sound, Isaak and Hjalmarson have seen communities of resilience sprung up, despite their circumstances. “We were walking around like two in the morning and people were out playing dominoes on the street. Music was happening, people were dancing,” said Isaak. This one piece provides a perfect example of how Cubans are choosing happiness and making the best out of difficult situations.
In addition to providing supplies, Isaak expressed concerns about the daunting task of distributing aid across the island in partnership with local groups. “Some of this is going to hospitals, it’s going to women’s centres. We have a whole variety of places that we built connections with,” she stated. Aid shipments have begun arriving in Cuba, most recently with a welcomed shipment of Russian oil delivery expected this month. Even with this progress, the need for urgent support is still dire.
The psychological toll of the unrelenting crisis is heavy within the American public. “People are tired, they’re frustrated, they’re stressed. There’s so much uncertainty,” Isaak said. As we heard from many residents, it is often just about getting by in the face of so much adversity.
What’s happening in Cuba is a horrible example of how closely global politics and humanitarian efforts can be tied together. Fortunately, Isaak and Hjalmarson are on the move to deliver the relief. They shed light on the real, urgent need to raise up and support those most impacted by these overlapping crises.
