Community / Aid campaign seeks donations of medicine and food for Cuban people
A CAMPAIGN led by Shetlander Joy Duncan is aiming to raise vital funds and take more than 500kg of humanitarian aid to Cuba next month.
For Da Love O Da Isles is the joint endeavour of Duncan and her cousin Eirene Houston, a documentary filmmaker who has curated the Havana-Glasgow film festival for the last 10 years.
They plan to hold fundraising events across Shetland over the next four weeks, before filling Duncan’s locally well-known orange Volkswagen van full of donations and heading to London then onwards to Cuba.
The pair have launched their campaign today (Wednesday) after a harrowing recent trip to Cuba, which Duncan said had opened her eyes to suffering in the country.
She visited the island in January for a month-long trip, in the days after US president Donald Trump seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Oil supplies from Venezuela to Cuba were seized in the aftermath, before Trump announced further tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba.
“What I saw unfold in front of my own eyes was a country enter into an even deeper economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis,” Duncan said.
In 35 years of visiting the island she had never seen its people “in so much suffering”, she added.
“With no fuel coming in the whole infrastructure suffered, lack of electricity, medication, food supplies,” Duncan said.
“With no fuel garbage could not be collected from the already overflowing streets.
“And the most difficult thing to witness at this time was the amount of elderly people, on a daily basis, searching in the waste for even the smallest scrap of food.”
Duncan said when she returned home to Shetland she realised that she “had to do something”.
“You couldn’t unsee the upsetting scenes unfolding on La Isla Bonita and with the future so uncertain, time is a great factor in helping in any way with the plight of the innocent Cuban people,” she added.
Duncan and Houston will return to Havana on Monday 30 March, and are planning to take up to 550kg of humanitarian aid with them.
She explained that AirEuropa will allow up to 10 bags per passenger, at a weight of 23kg, with a “little more” storage allowed too.
Duncan said that Shetland and Cuba “have a lot in common”, with both sets of islanders “proud of our culture” and “warm, friendly, welcoming and generous”.
“There are now seven residents of Shetland with Cuban heritage, the largest represented Caribbean island or Latin American country here in these isles,” she added.
“With that love for our islands and strong sense of humanity and compassion I feel certain the good people of Shetland, and beyond, shall open their hearts and donate to this urgent cause.”
Explaining what they need, Duncan said that medicines such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, bandages, dried and tinned foods, sanitary items, nappies and baby milk formula were among the essentials.
Rechargeable or solar-powered items such as phone chargers, torches/lamps and fans are also strongly desired.
To get all this aid across to Cuba will cost the pair, she said, which without sponsorship was looking to be around £4,000.
Duncan said the main donation point for Da Love O Da Isles would be her home in Endavoe, Scalloway, which would be identifiable with Shetland and Cuba flags flying in the garden.
Organisations such as Bigton Weekend Bakery and a number of schools have also agreed to be donation points for the project.
A Cuban-themed fundraiser will also be held in the Scalloway Boating Club on Saturday 14 March, with Jonny Sandison providing Cuban cocktails.
Another event will be held in the boating club on the following day, marking Mother’s Day too.
A Sunday teas event will also be held in Whalsay on Sunday 22 March, with local schoolchildren providing live music.
Duncan said cash donations can be sent to her Revolut account, and all transactions will be completely transparent and accountable.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
