The Situation in Cuba in October 2026: Understanding the Challenges Faced by Families and Taking Direct Action

In Cuba, finding food, preserving it, preparing a meal, or having water at home can require considerable effort. Rising prices, supply shortages, and power outages all combine to make daily life difficult for many families.

For more than six months, Soutien Direct International has been working directly on the ground with families living in extreme poverty. Our local team meets with people for whom these hardships result in unmet basic needs.

Understanding this reality requires looking at both the available data and the experiences of the people we support.

Food: A Matter of Availability, but Also of Access

The United Nations World Food Program describes an economic crisis marked by high inflation and a decline in purchasing power, which are hindering access to food in Cuba.

In September 2026, Reuters reported, based on official Cuban data, that consumer prices had risen by more than 25 percent from January through August compared with the same period the previous year. The agency also noted that the official index does not cover the informal market, which limits its ability to reflect the full extent of actual household spending.

The peso’s depreciation creates an additional challenge for people whose incomes are in the local currency. Receiving an income in pesos or receiving financial support in foreign currency does not provide the same purchasing power.

For families supported by Soutien Direct International, the mere presence of food in a store does not mean it is affordable. Many simply do not have the necessary means to feed themselves adequately.

Our food basket program addresses this reality by distributing nonperishable food items that can be used to prepare meals at home.

The Informal Market and Supply: A Reality That Requires Nuance

It is important to distinguish between licensed private businesses and the informal market. These channels are not equivalent, even though both are part of the economic reality faced by households.

For families, the questions remain very practical: Where can they find an essential item, at what price, and with what income?

Soutien Direct International purchases its food supplies locally through partnerships with independent suppliers and wholesalers. Our team then handles the preparation and distribution of the aid directly to families.

When there is a power outage, water and meals are also affected

The consequences of power outages go far beyond the loss of lighting in homes. They can disrupt water pumping and distribution, food preservation, and the operation of essential services.

In its March 2026 health report, the Pan American Health Organization notes that energy shortages in Cuba are disrupting water, sanitation, and food supply systems, increasing the risk of water- and foodborne diseases.

In the areas where we work, our team has observed that power outages can prevent pumps from operating. As a result, water no longer reaches certain homes as it normally would. For older adults, people with disabilities, or those with limited independence, carrying water presents an additional challenge.

It is in this context that Soutien Direct International is expanding its drinking water assistance to vulnerable people.

A public health situation that increases vulnerability

Difficulties in accessing water and disruptions to essential services are compounded by the spread of disease.

As of October 7, 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified Cuba as a country with high dengue transmission, with at least ten cases reported among travelers in the previous three months. This indicator does not represent a national tally of infections.

For people who are already vulnerable, being sick can also make it harder to go shopping, prepare meals, and get around.

Our Cocina Esperanza program supplements food baskets by providing hot meals delivered to the homes of people who are unable to cook for themselves, particularly due to a disability or a loss of independence.

Understanding the impacts of the embargo without taking a political stance

Soutien Direct International is a nonpartisan organization. Our role is to raise awareness of humanitarian needs and respond to them.

In its plan for Cuba covering the period 2026–2030, the World Food Program identifies several factors that hinder access to food: the economic crisis, inflation, declining purchasing power, the economic, commercial, and financial embargo, and vulnerability to natural disasters.

Recognizing these factors helps us better understand the challenges families face, without reducing a complex crisis to a single cause.

Resilience also deserves support

On the ground, we meet people who continue to help one another and seek solutions despite difficult conditions. This resilience is also reflected in the dedication of our Cuban volunteers.

But the ability to hold it in is no substitute for a meal, drinking water, or access to medical care.

Soutien Direct International brings together about 20 volunteers in Canada and Cuba. Our work relies on this team, on Canadian donors, and on our partners, including the Canadian Embassy in Cuba, partner organizations, and local communities.

Since we began our work, we have provided support to hundreds of families. Our food basket program has provided food equivalent to more than 90,000 meals. This figure refers to food baskets; the hot meals provided by Cocina Esperanza are an additional form of assistance.

Behind these results are interactions, assessed needs, and a team that continues to take action, working directly with people.