Cuba is going through one of the toughest moments in its recent history, as a result of the devastating combination of the economic blockade—intensified by Donald Trump in recent months—bringing new restrictions and chronic medicine shortages that have pushed Cuba’s health system to the brink. Hospitals are currently operating with minimal supplies; families look for remedies that simply do not exist on store shelves; and a people long accustomed to resistance faces, right now, an emergency that requires an immediate response from the world.
Given this scenario, the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) launched the “Help Cuba” campaign last year. More than a humanitarian action, the initiative was born as a political shout of internationalism—that internationalist solidarity is not rhetoric, but concrete practice that saves lives. With the Movement’s historical trajectory of struggle and cooperation with Cuba, it took on the task of turning outrage into organized action.
In just a few months, the “Help Cuba” Campaign mobilized donors from every region of the country, including rural and urban workers, students, teachers, health professionals, activists, and ordinary citizens who understood that supporting Cuba today means defending the sovereignty of peoples and resisting the domination model that condemns entire nations to misery.
Accountability
The distribution of medicines follows a priority logic defined by MINSAP itself—Dirección General de Salud Pública de La Habana (the Cuban Ministry of Public Health). Everything that arrives on the island is received directly by the ministry, which maintains an up-to-date list of needs according to the reality of the hospitals. Based on that list, supplies are directed to the units with the greatest need, ensuring that support reaches places with the highest urgency. There is no diversion or waste—because this is humanitarianism with method and commitment.
“At first, donations were delivered directly to social organizations, polyclinics, and partner hospitals. With the strengthening of the relationship with the Cuban State, the medicines began to be allocated to MINSAP. However, the lack of fuel makes distribution difficult in more distant regions from Havana, especially in the central and eastern parts of the island. That leads the ministry to orient the shipment directly to the provinces, as happened in the previous campaign, which sent 1.4 tons of medicines to eastern Cuba,” says Marcelo Durão, MST coordinator of the brigade in Cuba.
So far, as part of the “Help Cuba” Campaign, R$ 2,170,471.99 has been raised, of which R$ 2,020,546.71 was used to purchase medicines and to pay transport and shipping fees for the two major shipments carried out. Transparency in the financial reporting is part of the campaign’s political commitment. “The campaign is enormously important because it aims to supply the need for medicines created by the blockade, which prevents Cuba from obtaining the raw materials needed to produce these medicines,” Durão explained.
The logistics operation began with the campaign’s official dispatch, which consisted of 13 boxes sent through a transportation agency, totaling 213.63 kg of medicines. Then, by structuring a direct channel with supplying laboratories, it became possible to increase the scale of the aid, since the first major shipment via laboratory arrived at an impressive 1.7 tons—delivered directly to hospitals in eastern Cuba, precisely the region most devastated by Hurricane Melissa.
Now the second large-scale shipment has been completed and is ready to be loaded. It consists of approximately 4.6 tons of medicines purchased directly from the laboratory and destined for Cuba. This second dispatch represents, beyond a quantitative leap, the consolidation of a solid structure of solidarity between Brazil and Cuba—capable of responding at scale to the magnitude of the crisis.
In addition to the massive shipments, the campaign included a living network of solidarity that took smaller—but equally important—routes. During the period, 25 suitcases were also brought by people who traveled to the island, transporting medicines directly and personally. Each suitcase weighed an average of 23 kilograms, totaling 575 kilograms altogether. Those suitcases first reached the hands of the MST brigade in Cuba and, from there, were passed on to MINSAP. Adding up all forms of shipment, the total already delivered to the Cuban people and in the process of being shipped amounts to approximately 7.1 tons.
Internationalism
Beyond sending medicines, MST contributes to the development of agroecological production by sending seeds and supporting production-in-common projects. It also carry out trainings and exchanges between the countries, and has a permanent brigade in Cuba.
“And we strengthen actions in Brazil in support of Cuba—both through society and through dialogue with ministries and embassies,” says one of the campaign coordinators.
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