When a million people live in a city that’s been halted of all basic services, it creates a crisis some have called “a silent Gaza”. 

Why silent? Because the Cuban people are enduring a horrific situation with little media coverage, no intervention and that’s risky for them to speak out without consequences.  

How does that manifest on an island blockaded from all fuel?

It means waste has piled up stories high because garbage trucks haven’t run for months.  

Without fuel for the antiquated electric grid- blackouts are a constant way of life — often resulting in 3-5 days without electricity.  

Without electricity the old water pump system is completely paused – which means long walks to find drinking water.  

With a lack of running water and an excess of trash and dirt on the streets, mosquito born illnesses and other viruses increase rapidly.  But seeking treatment at a hospital is useless because their machines can’t work without electricity – which means no surgeries and no medical supplies.   

Lack of electricity also means food prep has now gone beyond scarce, it harkens back to caveman days where resourceful Cubans often need charcoal too cook on the sidewalks because gas stoves no longer run. 

Inflation is 10x every few weeks, and even if food is sourced, it’s never practical to buy enough to last more than a day or two.  Anything more than that will just spoil in a warm frig anyway. 

Beyond all this hardship, there’s one even deeper tragedy — isolation.  The Cuban people spend the majority of their days waiting… waiting for an unpredictable two-hour window when electricity returns to charge a phone, a battery, run a load of laundry, take a shower or cook a meal in the kitchen.  Often the hour arrives at 2 or 3am.  Sleep deprivation runs rampant for months on end without an ability of wifi/cell service to talk to loved ones who emigrated outside the country. 

We’ve watched our highly educated, deeply resilient friends wander through this silent Gaza – and we want to do something to help.