Solo el Amor: A Local Initiative Alleviating Shortages of Medicine
Solo el Amor volunteers pose for a photo while distributing donations in Matanzas, Cuba.
Amid the second spike in COVID-19 infections and a scarcity of basic medicine due to a complex mix of economic crises, the public health system in Matanzas, Cuba nearly collapsed in July 2021. To support this city, located two hours east of Havana, several spontaneous solidarity initiatives sprouted up around the country to send donations. Some utilized their personal resources, and others channeled donations sent from abroad. Solo el Amor (SEA) is one of the donation initiatives that began operations during this time.
A list of designated donations by municipalities in the province of Matanzas, Cuba.
After only a few months, SEA has delivered medicine to 11 of Cuba’s 15 provinces. Despite this progress, they have plans to reach the island's more isolated and less prosperous communities. The project’s director, Laura Bustillo, acknowledges that, in most cases, the aid tends to stay in the provincial capitals. For this reason, they are prioritizing their collaboration with social workers to conduct demographic surveys of towns throughout the island’s interior. This information will allow SEA to reach affected communities that are unaware of SEA’s work or individuals without ready access to social media.
SEA principally utilizes the internet and social media to organize its donation allocation. Most of the beneficiaries contact the project through their Facebook or Instagram profiles. The organization’s use of social media is far from whimsical, but rather, a creative way to organize its donation system and reach as many people as possible in a country where transportation is quite challenging.
A Solo el Amor volunteer reconciles lists of donated medicine in Matanzas, Cuba.
SEA oversees a controlled and functional donation system. Laura compares it to a pharmacy; people must present their identification and a prescription for the requested medicine. This avoids legal problems related to controlled medications and limits opportunists who seek to benefit from donations. With a doctor’s prescription, the donation system knows what dose to offer and keeps a daily record of those they help. This process of documentation and tracking allows for greater control of the scope of the project.
SEA receives most of its donations from Donaciones Cuba, a group of young Cubans in Barcelona. Despite this generous support from the Cuban diaspora community, what they receive is not enough to fulfill all the requests coming in. Furthermore, other donations from abroad are limited by the reduction of international flights to Cuba caused by the pandemic. Fortunately, more donations are expected once restrictions on flights to Cuba begin to reopen by mid-November.
What initially began as a group of concerned citizens with a drive to help resolve a public health crisis has evolved into an extensive network of national collaboration. This organization now has provincial and local coordinators who allocate medical supplies to different areas of the country based on the information gathered from their demographic surveys. Today, SEA has a solid community of followers, activists, and collaborators in all corners of the country.
Packaged donations to be sent to provincial coordinators in Holguín and Santa Clara.
Laura’s inspiration to help others truly comes from the heart. Earlier in the pandemic, Laura contracted COVID-19 and was admitted to a local hospital. During her stay, she witnessed firsthand how well-trained medical staff struggled to carry out their work with an exceptional lack of resources. This experience disturbed her. Laura fully understands how capable and talented Cubans are. Even in the face of adversity, they are full of strength and hope. She is determined to not let material limitations be what hold life back.
Although SEA has been able to reach many people in need and donations have arrived from individuals and governments abroad, Cubans still struggle to find medicine for their everyday health. It’s distressingly common to visit multiple pharmacies and still not find the medicine for your prescription. Some of the basic medical supplies in shortage include high blood pressure and diabetic medications, antibiotics, pain killers, anti-inflammatories, multivitamins, syringes, latex gloves, and disposable face masks.
After much communication with our contacts in Cuba, EEAbroad has decided to support Solo el Amor’s efforts of helping Cubans find the medicine they need. Claire Kelly, EEAbroad’s founder, will be traveling to Cuba next month to personally hand over the donations from our Humanitarian Aid Initiative. Please consider making a donation. Really, even a small contribution makes a difference.