Written by Christina Polzot, country representative for CARE International in Cuba
Responding to Hurricane Sandy and understanding a changing country, Christina Polzot looks back on a year as head of CARE International in Cuba.
"It’s been a year since I first arrived in Cuba – and what a hectic year it’s been. In July 2012, I left my position at CARE Canada headquarters in Ottawa to take on new challenges as the CARE country representative in Cuba.
I was somewhat familiar with our program here prior to my arrival, but navigating the changes Cuba is undergoing as it re-engineers its economy, and understanding what those mean for CARE’s work, has kept me busy nonetheless.
As has our food security program. Established in 1995, it has recently expanded, thanks to some new funding from the European Union. Now, we help farmers adapt to the more severe and prolonged periods of drought that eastern Cuba is facing.
Living as I do on an island with frequent risk of natural disaster (hurricanes and earthquakes, to name a few), I also spent time thinking about disaster preparedness, and looking for opportunities to expand our disaster risk-reduction program. All this, coupled with the daily duties of office management, finance oversight, program monitoring and donor relations, left me with little time to enjoy the local sites and rich Cuban culture.
After four months on the job, just as I was starting to feel like I was getting a grasp on it all, Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern end of the island, leaving behind extensive devastation. One and a half million people were directly impacted, suffering losses in housing, water and food; and 11 people died. Electricity and water supplies were cut off, roads were blocked and 27 per cent of the country’s population was affected in some way or another.
Given the scale of the impact and CARE’s humanitarian mandate, we quickly set aside our daily tasks to focus on the response and support the government’s efforts to tend to those in need. CARE was quick to act: we distributed hygiene kits (including important items like water purification tablets, soap and water storage tanks) and household kits (with mattresses, towels and sheets) to residents in Santiago – Cuba’s second largest city and the hardest hit by the hurricane.
Our work continued to support 1,600 affected families in Holguin province, where we distributed hygiene kits to prevent the spread of disease, household kits to support families to re-start their livelihoods, and roofing supplies and tools for reconstruction of homes. Three hundred families received the tools, materials and knowledge to reconstruct or repair their homes, and install more durable and resistant roofing systems. All of this work was accompanied by educational campaigns and training on safer building practices.
CARE’s support to those affected by Hurricane Sandy would not have been possible without the hard work of our Cuban partners and the overall coordination of the government. Given the storm’s impact in the northeastern United States, it was not easy to attract attention and raise funds for those affected in the Caribbean. But thankfully, in the end we had the support of a number of donors, including CARE International; the European Community’s Humanitarian Office (ECHO); the embassies of Canada, France and Japan; and private donors.
Perhaps the most rewarding moment of my first year in Cuba was receiving a handwritten letter (which I love, but hardly receive any more) from Juan Carlos, a beneficiary of CARE’s work in Holguin. He thanked us for helping him repair his home, and said that “although he has nothing material to offer in return, he hopes that his strength and commitment to overcome devastation will provide inspiration to continue doing what we do.”
It sure does.
As we are currently in the midst of another hurricane season, we’ve reviewed our emergency preparedness plan and CARE is on stand-by to offer our support. Hopefully, this year it won’t be necessary."
To read more about CARE's work in Cuba, please click here.