FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March, 20, 2026
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
CODEPINK Delegation Leaves for Cuba With Over 6000 Pounds of Medical Supplies and Over 140 Suitcases Full of Humanitarian Aid
Participants will be available to the press upon their return on Monday at 4 pm ET (location TBD)
MIAMI – CODEPINK’s Nuestra América Convoy delegation departed Miami today, Friday, March 20, for Cuba to deliver 6,300 pounds of urgently needed medicines and medical supplies, including neonatal equipment, analgesics, catheters, and other critical hospital materials. The supplies, valued at $433,000, were collected by Global Health Partners. For decades, the U.S. blockade has created severe supply shortages in the Cuban health system, and the Trump administration’s total blockade on all fuel to the island has only exacerbated the situation.
CODEPINK’s delegation was organized in collaboration with Progressive International, Cuban Americans for Cuba, and other partners. The delegation brings together a politically diverse but deeply aligned group of people, community organizers, anti-war activists, Cuba solidarity organizers, healthcare workers, nurses, legal advocates, lawyers, law students, veterans, union members, labor organizers, journalists, independent media workers, photographers, filmmakers, writers, artists, educators, students, researchers, faith-based activists, immigrant justice organizers, reproductive justice advocates, socialist organizers, Palestine solidarity activists, Black liberation organizers, cultural workers, and grassroots community members, united by a shared commitment to stand with the Cuban people, challenge the brutality of the U.S. blockade, and turn solidarity into material action.
In addition to the 6,300 pounds of medical supplies, delegates have packed suitcases with supplies that address the needs of specific groups affected by the blockade in unique ways, such as LGBTQ+ people, artists, animals, and others. While in Cuba, after delivering the supplies, the delegation plans to:
- visit with Cuban doctors and witness the strain on the healthcare system;
- visit organizations that focus on feeding vulnerable people;
- paint a mural;
- help rebuild and paint a children’s playground in Central Havana;
- hear from Cuban experts on US-Cuba relations, agroecology, HIV/AIDS prevention, and international migration;
- and hold an art build and pen pal letter exchange with children in Central Havana.
Members of the press are invited to join this WhatsApp channel, where participants will post media content that is welcome for use. Participants will include credit information when applicable and are happy to provide any additional details or context you may need.
The March 20 delegation is part of a broader international effort organized by Progressive International. Hundreds of activists from Latin America, the United States, Canada, and Europe will converge in Havana on March 21 to denounce the U.S. blockade and deliver life-saving aid. In total, the convoy will have delivered:
- More than $400,000 of humanitarian supplies on a charter flight, including medical equipment, medicines, staple foods, infant nutrition products, and hygiene supplies, coordinated by CODEPINK.
- Over $500,000 worth of solar panels and generators to support hospitals and essential infrastructure facing electricity shortages.
- Over 2000 lbs of medical supplies from Europe, carried by a medical delegation travelling from Milan, Italy.
- Cancer medicines valued at $23,000 organized by Global Exchange.
- Around 1100 lbs of medical supplies from Brazil, coordinated by the Brazilian Front of Solidarity with Cuba.
- Solar-powered equipment from Colombia, including solar chargers and lighting systems.
- Menstrual health kits for approximately 1,300 women, organized by a solidarity coalition in Mexico.
- $100,000 in aid for maternity centers.
Participants and organizers of CODEPINK’s delegation acknowledge that the supplies provided by the mission are only a small fraction of what is needed, and that the work remains incomplete as long as the blockade remains. Even as it makes tremendous gains in renewable energy, Cuba still urgently needs fuel to operate its hospitals, keep its schools open, and feed its people. The public must continue to pressure the U.S. government to end the deadly blockade that has sought to suffocate the Cuban people for over 60 years.
Upon return from Cuba on Monday, the delegation will be available to answer questions from the press and give their first-hand accounts of what they witnessed. Location is still being determined. If you want updates on location or would like to arrange interviews at a later date, please contact Melissa at [email protected].
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