I JUST spoke with an area pharmacy, and they are willing to donate some over-the-counter medicines which will be carried in the BOB trailer and dispensed to the locals in Cuba, medical centres, hospitals and schools. I am never quite sure whether one is better donating to individuals or an institution in case the items are seized and sold for profit by an OTC profiteer... oops, sounding a bit too night-time-AM-radio-conspiracy-ish... I tend to prefer individuals in tiny villages because if they can't use the stuff, they will certainly give them to someone who can, or sell them and hopefully be better off themselves. One for the "little people". When we see the efforts made for tragedies they ask, rightly so, for cash donations since they are easiest to move around. That being said, I'll not take cash donations - I want everyone to know that things given are going to Cubans and not cash vanishing somewhere else. That severely limits how much I can take, but maybe we can gather together a network of donors/travelers who can ferry the donations to where they are needed. The way NJTT does it.

*** FYI - I have learned that NJT Toronto is shutting down. It seems that Cuban officials at the border are seizing meds as they arrive. Not sure what the official reason could be; I'm guessing they're taking them because they're valuable and can be sold for quite a profit. Similar to what happened to us at the ferry crossing to Habana on this trip... the lure of cash. Sad.