2 Meals/Day for 50 Disabled Cubans

 As increased tourism continues to consume a large portion of the private food available in Cuba, our food program proudly carries on. With such a great increase in tourism, our food program could not survive without donors like you. Our travelers have confirmed that the recent increase in tourism has constrained the amount food available for private purchase from our program's leaders. Yet with donations like yours, our program has carried on, despite the difficulties it faces with such limited resources available.

Your generous donations continue to provide many mentally and physically disabled individuals and their families with adequate nutrition that would otherwise be unobtainable. With your contributions, this program has provided support for over thirty impoverished families. It is your backing that provides hope for these recipients, that they may one day achieve what we take for granted, going to sleep without the worry of food for tomorrow.

We at First-Hand Aid thank you for opening your hearts to this program and aiding the physically and mentally disabled in their plight to achieve a healthy standard of life. The beneficiaries of this program's lives have greatly improved on behalf on your generous donations. Thank you for all of your support!

Links:

• Our website

Since December, the world has observed a progression of relations between the United States and Cuba that has not been witnessed in over 50 years.  Cuba has been removed from the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism and the New York Cosmos recently played the Cuban national team in a friendly futbol match in Havana. American tourism has grown 36% following the that in diplomatic relations.  All of these events improve the hopes of those living in Cuba but Cuba needs your help now, just as much as they have in the past.

Since the improvements between the two countries, our volunteers have witnessed widespread shortages of food and health supplies in Cuba.  It seems that much of the resources made available to Cuban citizens are being shifted to accomodate the increase in tourism.  Without outside support many Cubans are suffering from a shortage of the most basic goods.  With your continued support, we aim to expand our reach to many more Cubans suffering from physical and mental disabilities. 

The struggle for Cubans is very real.  We thank you for opening your hearts to them and providing aid to their plight to achieve a healthy standard of life.  The program's recipients lives have greatly improved due to your generous donations. Thank you for all of your support! 

Links:

• Our Website

Thanks to generous donors like you, First-Hand Aid is proud to announce that over $9,000 dollars has been raised to support First-Hand Aid's food program. With your charitable donations, First-Hand Aid will continue providing meals for the programs recipients and will be searching for additional families to support.  Historic developments have recently been made between the governments of the United States and Cuba and we hope that these changes will make it easier to facilitate additional support programs in the future.

Thank you for your generosity.

A letter from Marc Bohland, executive director of First-Hand Aid:

For the past 15 years that this organization and myself have been doing humanitarian work in Cuba, we have anticipated the day when both our country and Cuba would be willing to at least talk about reestablishing diplomatic relations. For the many people of Cuba who suffer daily from the break with the United States, and the many Cuban Americans who have family living in Cuba, this day is a great beginning. Every day on the news it becomes more evident that we live in a global environment all affected by one another. The future of our world depends on the future of the young in all countries. We hope that this is a positive start with these two nations.


We will all hope and pray that this is the beginning of a new future.
Marc Bohland 
Executive Director 
First Hand Aid

Links:

• Check out our website for more information
• Interested in travelling? Click here.

Dear supporters,

In September 2014, we marked the 15th anniversary of the first trip to Cuba made by our co-founders Marc Bohland and Bob Cacicedo. That trip--to visit Bob's family in Cuba and to bring items to the family of one of Marc's coworkers--was the beginning of First-Hand Aid. Bob and Marc saw the great need that existed in Cuba, and they recognized a chance to serve something greater than themselves. Today, thanks to your support, First-Hand Aid is proud to celebrate 15 years of changing and saving lives in Cuba.

Did You Know?

First-Hand Aid provides daily meals to 40 families in Havana through our "meals on heels" program. These are people who do not have the means or the ability to feed or cook for themselves, and would go hungry without this support.

First-Hand Aid provides financial support to 24 families throughout Cuba--17 of which have young children. These families face tremendous hardship from illness, disability, unemployment and/or extreme poverty, which are situations that often are not supported by the Cuban government.

First-Hand Aid employs 5 Cuban staff members, which not only provides us with an ongoing, knowledgeable presence in Cuba, but also gives them steady income and the pride of knowing that their work is helping fellow Cubans.

First-Hand Aid will deliver more than 1 ton of medicine and supplies in 2014! We hand-deliver our medicine and hygeine supplies to four hospitals/clinics in and around Havana, providing both the basics and the hard-to-get medicine that is so often in short supply.

With your support, we look forward to many more years of changing lives for our Cuban neighbors. No matter how small, what you contribute DOES add up.

Links:

• Havana in Chicago Event Raises Money for Impoverished Cubans
• First-Hand Aid Web Site

Dear Donors, 

For the first time since this program began, recipients of the food program have passed away.  Specifically, three beneficiaries of the program you have helped fund have passed away since April.  Although the loss of someone is never easy, you should take solace in the fact that your donations have allowed each of these individuals to live a better quality of life in their final months.  The individuals and families that you support are very gracious of your continued financial support.

First Hand Aid's recent humanitarian trip in May was a great success, with your help we have passed along the necessary funding to keep this program alive in the coming months.  We are currently waiting on renewal of our license from the United States Department of Treasury.  However, we remain dedicated to the Cuban's that we serve through this program.  We anticipate the approval of this license and a return to Cuba in July to continue this program as well as First Hand Aid's other humanitarian efforts.  

With your help, we aim to extend the necessary support to the disabled in Cuba for the next year.  

Thank you for all of your support.

Links:

• Reuters article on Cuba-US Consular Services
• Purchase Tickets to our June 20th Havana Night Fundraiser
• Reuters Cuba Portal