The “Donation for Missions Where It Is Most Needed” project serves as a quiet helping hand. It enables us to support smaller mission initiatives - projects that have great local value but often do not fit into larger aid programs. This time, we assisted a Catholic community in Cuba.
Cuba is experiencing the worst economic crisis of the past century. The situation is even worse than during the so-called Periodo Especial of 1990–1994. Soaring inflation is causing the local currency to lose value against the U.S. dollar and the euro, while prices for basic food staples such as rice, beans, and oil are skyrocketing. Moreover, these products are often in short supply, and the vast majority of residents have no savings or means to purchase and store food. The problem of hunger is affecting an increasing number of people in Camajuaní and the surrounding areas.
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“The economic situation and living conditions are deteriorating month by month. Basic medicines are in short supply, food prices are steadily rising, and fuel at stations (including for electricity generators) is often unaffordable. Daily power outages last up to 12 hours, causing household appliances to break down. People are emigrating en masse, especially the young and educated. Some pay smugglers to flee via Nicaragua and Mexico to the US, while others attempt to cross the Gulf of Mexico to reach the Florida coast (the so-called 'balseros').” - Father Marek Gubernat MSF, a Missionary of the Holy Family working in Cuba since 2022, reports.
The parish of Camajuaní is located in the province of Villa Clara (Diocese of Santa Clara), in the central part of the island, about 30 kilometers from the northern coast. It is a predominantly hilly area, with rich vegetation and plenty of greenery. During the summer months (June–September), there are frequent, almost daily, heavy and violent rainstorms. The main parish church is located in Camajuaní. In addition, the missionary serves six surrounding villages with Catholic communities. The celebration of the Eucharist, preparation for the sacraments of Christian initiation, catechesis for children, evangelization courses, and the distribution of medicine and basic food are the main tasks of the Camajuaní mission.
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The St. Joseph's eatery project developed gradually. “First, in 2023, a Caritas group was established, which remains active today, providing material assistance to the poorest residents of our community by preparing food packages and cleaning supplies. The deepening economic crisis means that many people - due to age or health - are unable to prepare a hot meal on their own. The main problem is the lack of electricity; people have nowhere to store food, and the elderly and sick cannot light a fire themselves using coal or wood. Seeing this need, we decided to create an eatery,” explains Father Mark.
In addition to those managing the eatery, many of the people already benefiting from the missionary Caritas are also helping out. The eatery is based in a detached house where the nuns lived until 2021, now one of the buildings of the Camajuaní mission. Initially, one of the rooms was converted into a storage space, and then a gas kitchen with the necessary equipment was installed. “Unfortunately, gas has been unaffordable for over a year, forcing us to cook with charcoal, a very time-consuming and inefficient solution. This difficult situation has pushed us to look for other options,” the missionary continues.
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Since the inception of the eatery, the mission has been purchasing food with funds from individual donors and donations from the “Ad Gentes” Relief Work through charitable projects. Currently, the biggest challenge is the lack of electricity, which is expected to be resolved by the end of October with the installation of a photovoltaic system funded by the Polish Embassy in Cuba.
However, to fully utilize the new infrastructure of St. Joseph's eatery, a final step is needed - the purchase of household appliances and the adaptation of the kitchen to prepare meals using electricity. Thanks to funds from the Donation for missions where it is most needed project, which supports the areas of greatest need, the Catholic community of the Camajuaní mission in Cuba can feel reassured. For the €3,200 donated for this purpose by our Secretariat for Foreign Missions, the missionary plans to purchase:
- a freezer,
- a refrigerator,
- an induction cooker,
- electric rice cookers,
- pressure cookers (both types of pots are common solutions for preparing large quantities of meals),
- small daily-use kitchen items.
On behalf of the missionary and all the parishioners of the Camajuaní mission in Cuba, we sincerely thank all the Donors of the Donation for missions where it is most needed project!
