CMT is authorized to license travelers to Cuba to help us deliver containers of donated supplies!

TRAVEL TO CUBA BY U.S. CITIZENS
As you are likely aware, the political relations between the United States and Cuba has resulted in severely limited travel opportunities for U.S. citizens to Cuba. Severe penalties are enacted upon those who travel to Cuba unauthorized.

Legal travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens requires authorization through a license granted by the United States Treasury Department, Office of Assets Control (OFAC). One category of authorized travel to Cuba has to do with the export of humanitarian supplies. Caribbean Medical Transport has been granted such a license. The use of this license must conform to specific guidelines established by OFAC. It is the responsibility and intent of Caribbean Medical Transport to ensure that the guidelines of the license are strictly followed.

Key conditions of travel include the following:

CMT can only authorize use of this license to "professional and technical specialists", traveling in order to help us send more containers of supplies. Additionally, activities in Cuba "must constitute a full-time schedule" of authorized activities. Finally, the time allowed for each visit is a maximum of ten days.

To clarify, the Caribbean Medical Transport OFAC license does NOT authorize travel to Cuba to engage in personal or tourist activities. CMT will authorize ONLY those activities that are approved by the license guidelines.

If after reading this entire notice, you would like to pursue the possibility of traveling to Cuba specifically and exclusively to assist in the delivery of medical supplies, CMT invites you to apply for permission to travel under this license. CMT will authorize use of this license on a case-by-case basis, determined by information sent to us about your interests, qualifications and ability to assist in this work.

All participants authorized by CMT to travel to Cuba will follow an itinerary designed by CMT to ensure the successful delivery, dissemination and utilization of supplies transported. This itinerary will include; visiting facilities that receive supplies, assisting in training and in monitoring the use of equipment, assistance in planning future deliveries, evaluation of effectiveness of these activities. CMT values the expertise you can contribute to this important and gratifying work. Every effort will be made to utilize your skill and experience to maximize successful delivery and utilization of medical equipment and to provide an appropriate and rewarding experience to all participants. To this end, in certain circumstances, CMT may design an itinerary specific to your expertise.

PROGRAM LOGISTICS
If you are interested in joining the work of Caribbean Medical transport in Cuba, please complete the application below! Upon receipt of your responses, you will be contacted. As your application is being carefully reviewed, CMT will work closely with you to identify possible avenues of participation that would most benefit your interests and program needs, including a specific itinerary.

If you are approved for individual travel, you will be required to meet with one of our Cuba partners when you arrive, for orientation and to help finalize our approved itinerary. This person, who in every case will be a good, reliable and competent friend of CMT, could also help plan your trip, answer any questions, meet you at the airport, help arrange housing, or even serve as a guide, should you so request.

Caribbean Medical Transport is not a travel agency, and cannot arrange for airfare and accommodation. However, based upon our experience with travel to Cuba CMT can offer sound suggestions in these areas.

PROGRAM COSTS

Each time we send one container to Cuba, we are permitted to send 10 technical or professional specialists to help us accomplish our work. It costs, on average, $4,000-$5,000 to send each container (less from Florida, more from other places). So, we need an average of $400-$500 per licensee to keep everything going. If we license 10 people who donate nothing, then we have to find $4,000- $5,000 from elsewhere, or, we don't have any money to send any containers and we can't send any more people - everything comes to a stop.

There is no fixed fee for the license, but each time we use the license, we create an obligation to fundraise $400-$500.

Therefore we offer our licensees the following choices:

1) Donate $400-$500, so we can keep going.

2) Donate less, but promise to make a sincere effort to fundraise amongst your friends and neighbors.

3) Donate more than $500 so we can help send someone else with lots of talent and dedication, not so much money!

4)) In some cases you can donate nothing - based upon financial need, and your commitment to accomplish extensive and valuable work.

I'm always happy to answer any conceivable question to the best of my ability!

truly,
Rick Schwag
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DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE (PDF document)