Ox-drawn carts used to carry US aid in fuel-starved Cuba

HONGOLOSONGO: Pushing a modified bicycle that serves him as a wheelchair, Teodardo Debardet returns home after receiving an aid package sent by the United States to Cuban victims of last year’s Hurricane Melissa.

Even as Washington maintains a harsh fuel blockade and a slew of sanctions pile misery on Cubans, the US continues to send relief to Melissa victims through the Catholic NGO Caritas.

Debardet, a double amputee who lost both legs in a workplace accident, lives outside the town of El Cobre in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.

His aid package includes rice, beans, oil, and canned goods, along with hygiene products like soap, detergent, toothbrushes, and chlorine tablets for purifying water.

The Caritas volunteers, as part of the care package, also offer the victims medical check-ups and haircuts.

Hurricane Melissa ripped the roof off Debardet’s home and destroyed his bathroom when it barreled past in October 2025.

In his rural community of just over 130 inhabitants, less than half of the homes have electricity, and only a minority have access to piped water.

Many residents have still not been able to repair their roofs.

The distribution of the US aid is hampered by fuel shortages aggravated by Washington’s blockade.

“It’s a little difficult for us because we have to find transportation, get fuel and see who can give us a ride,” said Katia Simon, head of Caritas in El Cobre.

When the petrol and diesel run out, the aid is transported by ox-drawn cart.

“We welcome this aid from wherever it comes…if it’s from the people of the United States, that’s fine,” said Osmany Vedey, a 63-year-old beneficiary.

The United Nations, European Union, China, Venezuela, Mexico and other countries also sent aid to Melissa victims.

Separately from the millions in relief it sent to Melissa victims, Washington has offered a further US$100 million in aid for Cuba.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel has argued that lifting a more-than-six-decade US trade embargo on Cuba would be more helpful than sending aid.