Mexican Volunteers Send Boats Full of Supplies to Help Crisis-Hit Cuba

Grassroots volunteers in Mexico are loading boats with essential supplies like food, medicine and baby formula to send to Cuba. The humanitarian effort comes as the island nation faces severe power outages and economic hardship due to U.S. restrictions on oil imports.

Volunteers in Mexico are organizing a humanitarian mission to deliver essential supplies to Cuba as the island nation struggles with widespread power outages and economic difficulties caused by U.S. restrictions on oil imports.

At a port in Mexico’s Yucatan state, located roughly 497 miles from Havana across the Gulf of Mexico, dozens of volunteers gathered to pack boats with rice, baby wipes, and other critical supplies. A hand-painted sign reading “Let Cuba Live” marked the collection site.

Volunteer Marisela Vega described how the grassroots movement gained momentum. “At the beginning we felt like we were going against the tide, trying to get enough aid,” Vega explained. “And suddenly it overflowed. … When everyone started finding out, little by little they responded more and more.”

The donated items include beans, baby formula, shampoo, and feminine hygiene products, according to Vega. Volunteers have also used donations to purchase medications for the shipment.

The boats departed Friday as part of the “Nuestra America Convoy” (“Our America Convoy”), a civilian initiative calling on volunteers worldwide to send vital goods to Cuba. The effort specifically seeks food, medicines, and energy supplies like batteries and flashlights, with all items being collected at a central location in Cuba by Saturday.

The aid mission responds directly to actions taken by U.S. President Donald Trump during heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. The United States has imposed an oil embargo on the Caribbean communist nation following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Cuba’s primary economic supporter. This week, Trump suggested he might soon have the “honor of taking Cuba” while engaging in discussions with Cuban officials.

Mexico, which previously supplied fuel to Cuba before the U.S. delivery ban, has provided humanitarian assistance to the island.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the situation Friday, stating: “Cuba has lived through an economic blockade for years that has prevented the Cuban people from being able to develop freely in economic terms. It is the people of Cuba themselves who must decide how to govern without foreign intervention.”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledged the arrival of European supplies Friday as part of the “Nuestra America” relief effort. “The warmth of the people is welcome,” he wrote on social media.