There is hardly a country in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, that has not benefited from the generosity of the Cuban people.

More than 500 Cuban doctors currently serve in Jamaican hospitals and clinics, many in rural communities where access to medical care would otherwise be limited or non-existent. Across the region, Cuban medical professionals quietly and consistently save lives. Through programs such as those of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade, Cuba has also sent doctors to assist nations in times of crisis, from the COVID-19 emergency in Italy to outbreaks and disasters in Africa and Latin America.

Cuba has trained Caribbean students in medicine for decades. Jamaican doctors have studied at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana and returned home to serve their communities. In Africa, Cuban doctors and teachers have worked in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa during some of their most difficult periods.

This is not a political argument about communism versus democracy. It is a humanitarian appeal.

Today, ordinary Cubans, elders, children, families, face severe shortages of fuel, food, and medical supplies. The long-standing embargo imposed by the United States continues to affect daily life in profound ways. Regardless of one’s political position, the human cost is undeniable.

The question before us is simple: when a neighbour who has repeatedly come to our aid is in distress, do we turn away? Do we pretend as if we have not benefitted from their generosity?

Humanitarian assistance is not an endorsement of any government. Providing fuel so hospitals can operate, medicine so children can receive treatment, and food so elders do not go hungry is not ideology ; it is reciprocity. It is solidarity. It is humanity.

Jamaica sits less than 100 miles from Cuba. Our histories, cultures, and futures are intertwined. Across the Caribbean and Africa, thousands are alive today because Cuban doctors showed up when others did not.

If we believe in justice, in fairness, in shared humanity, then this is a moment to act with moral clarity. Governments can debate policy. But people of conscience must insist that humanitarian corridors remain open and that aid reach those in need.

We must not allow ordinary Cubans to suffer in darkness when they have brought healing and light to so many of us.

This is a call  to Caribbean people, to Africans, to Europeans, to all who believe in human dignity to stand for compassion over division.

Let us be a blanket for Cuba in its hour of need.

Let us respond not with politics, but with humanity. Help Cubans to live.