Over the years the main work of Caribbean Medical Transport in Cuba has been the delivery of containers of donated medical supplies. We typically work with partners- other groups that collect and store materials, and then later pack and deliver these supplies to recipients in Cuba. Rather then trying to do the collecting and storing, packing, trucking and delivering ourselves, we have developed a niche - we collect money and then give money to other organizations that are capable of distributing supplies. Some of these partner organizations are in the United States and others are in Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world.
The better part of our work is monitoring the ability of these organizations to distribute assistance to the people of Cuba, working legally with all governments.
Many who are reading this can probably remember that we used to list the specific contents of every container we sent- a packing list for each container, detailing every catheter, and every bottle of vitamins. We want to work with absolute transparency- where we got the money, who we partnered with, and where everything ended up.
Unfortunately, when it comes to projects that involve both the United States and Cuba- discretion is more of a virtue than transparency.
Perhaps the question we are most often asked is how do we guaranty that our donations end up where they are supposed to go.
The best answer to that question is that we are as vigilant as we can be.
One of the advantages of partnering with non profits in Canada and Europe is that these countries have diplomatic relations with Cuba, and can better monitor delivery at the level of the Ambassadors if necessary.
Our experience, gathered over almost ten years of very difficult and complicated work, is that organizations that are intent upon monitoring are much more successful than organizations that are lackadaisical. CMT concentrates as much as possible on distribution. Someday soon, in a better political climate, when transparency is more of a virtue than discretion, we will once again publish every detail of our work on this web page.
Delivery of humanitarian supplies is in reality simply a subcategory of friendship. Many of us, myself included, have friends and family in Cuba. We are doing this work for them.
We all hope that someday very soon, the friendship that motivates us will find its expression in the freedom to travel, the freedom to trade, the freedom to engage in every variety of cultural, educational or scientific endeavor. Until then, we will do our best to help our friends by providing the limited travel opportunities that are legal, and by sending over and carefully distributing everything from vitamins to sophisticated hospital equipment.
Even in these difficult times, CMT is involved with projects that directly promote friendship. Please look over to the left if you wish to learn about working with the animals of Cuba, or with HIV patients, or if you would like to lead a group of people to travel to Cuba for another specific purpose. In the past, we have organized travel for historical renovation, and for Little League baseball, and for a Rotary or Lions Club, and for local churches or synagogues. And we are always open to new ideas.
Children of single mothers in Havana, supported by CMT
