Timba Viva – Urgent Medical Support to Cuban Community

Help us raise funds to send urgent medical supplies to the community of La Timba, a deprived, poverty-stricken neighbourhood in Havana, which is greatly suffering as a result of the sanitary and economic crisis in Cuba, where there is a very serious deficit of medicines and medical supplies.

WHO WE ARE
OUR PLAN
FAQS
PATIENT STORIES

WHO WE ARE

We, Gabriela Salgado and Maria Victoria O'Hana, are British-Cuban citizens who are teaming up with community doctors and nurses - Abel González Barreiro, Osnel Santana López, and Caridad Romero García - from the medical office # 26 of La Timba, which serves a population of 1,173 inhabitants. The doctors and nurses who work here have created a database of community needs in order for us to send relevant supplies.

This project was born out of community solidarity and has no religious nor political affiliations.

OUR PLAN

Funds will be used to purchase the necessary medical supplies identified by the doctors and nurses from medical office #26 of La Timba. These include:

• Supplies for battling Covid-19: Azithromycin, Antigen tests, Antimicrobial Gel, Masks, and Gloves
• Supplies for addressing the most prevalent diseases in the community (which are Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Bronchial Asthma, and Neoplasia): Antibiotics, Prednisolone, Prednisone, Hydrocortisone, Montelukast, Zafirlucast, Antihistamines, Pain relievers, Antifungals, Antihypertensives, Salbutamol spray
• General supplies for the clinic: Syringes, catheter, Alcohol, Pregnancy tests, Medical creams, Cotton buds, Pain relievers, Gauze, Antihistamines, Hydration salts, Contraceptives, Band-Aids, IV catheter, Stethoscope, Pulse oximeter, Sphygmomanometers, Otoscope, Thermometer

Funds will also be used to cover shipping costs to Havana.

PATIENT STORIES

While we will be looking to donate across the broad community of La Timba, we have selected 4 patient stories to provide an idea of the ailments and medical scarcities that the patients in the community are currently facing.

Case 1: Reinaldo Martín Montano Echevarría

72-year-old patient who presents ulcerations in both lower limbs. Supplies are needed in order to clean his wounds, including hydrogen peroxide, gauze and topical creams to treat the lesions.

Case 2: Eduardo Echemendía Lozano

79-year-old patient suffering from liver cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus and COPD. Among the medications he requires are furosemide, propanolol, and trocar #16, which are currently unavailable at his local clinic.

Cases 3 and 4: Keira Herrada Matos & Rosaly Cantos Matos

Kenia Matos Delgado is a young mother of three daughters.

Her eldest daughter, Keira Herrada Matos, 11 years old, has been operated for angiomas, nevus and is being treated at the oncologist. She often gets skin infections and is asthmatic. Among the vital drugs that she does not have access to are colostrum. She and her sister currently have a Staphylococus aurus infection which requires antibiotics such as Minacidine, streptomycin, oxacycline, gentamicin, doxycycline, cephalexin and calamycin. Antibiotics are extremely scarce at the moment, and are currently being sold on the black market for extortionate prices which the average Cuban cannot afford.

Kenia's youngest daughter, Rosaly Cantos Matos is 5 years old, and is an immunosuppressed patient. She has a malformation in the vulva, is intolerant to lactose, suffers from orthopedic problems, and is myopic. She was born with an open abdomen and has undergone surgery for 2 hernias. She is cared for by a psychologist and psychiatrist, due to her multiple illnesses. Her lymph nodes are often inflamed and need draining.

Among the medications that she needs which are currently not being sold in Cuba are: cicatricure, probiotic-10, mupirazine, omeprazole, and multi-vitamins. She also has a critical need for wet wipes for her vaginal malformation. She have not been able to buy orthopedic boots with support for femoral problems and flat feet.

FAQS

Recent GoFundMe campaigns for Cuba have been frozen due to the US embargo. Is this campaign at risk of being subject to the embargo?

No. GoGetFunding is a UK-based platform, and we have received official confirmation that this campaign will not be subject to the US embargo.

Can I make a donation even after the funds have been sent to Cuba?

Yes. We are looking to expand this project in future and to continue raising funds to distribute medical supplies beyond La Timba.

Is there an official Charity or NGO that I could donate to instead?

Yes, but all official charity campaigns and foreign NGO initiatives are set up via the Cuban government, specifically through MINCEX (Ministry of Foreign Investment and Commerce). Our personal campaign ensures 100% transparency and directness by cutting out the middlemen.

Is it legal to enter these medical supplies to Cuba?

Yes. In July 2021, the Cuban government lifted taxes and limits on medical supplies imported to the country.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!