From Musical Getaways/Havana Music Tours – Chaz Chambers: Dear friends: Cuba is facing one of the most critical moments we have witnessed in years. The national electrical system has suffered repeated collapses, including two nationwide failures in less than 24 hours while workers were still attempting to restore service. These followed several other national blackouts in July. In many parts of the island, families are experiencing outages lasting most of the day, affecting water, food preservation, medicine, transportation, hospitals, and basic communications.
At the same time, Cuba’s supply system is breaking down. Major international shipping companies have suspended container bookings to and from Cuba. Thousands of containers are reportedly caught at different points in Cuba’s supply chain. Some have reached Cuban ports but cannot be moved and distributed because of fuel shortages, limited transportation, power failures, and infrastructure problems. Others have been stranded, rerouted, or returned to third-country ports after recent sanctions and shipping suspensions made Cuba-bound cargo more difficult and risky to transport.
This is severely affecting private businesses that now provide much of the food and essential merchandise available to Cuban families. Restaurants, markets, bakeries, transportation companies, farms, and independent retailers cannot retrieve imported products, ingredients, equipment, or replacement parts. The result is fewer supplies, closed businesses, lost jobs, and even higher prices.
For a clearer picture of what is happening across Cuba, including the power crisis, port delays, and growing impact on everyday life, read our latest blog post: Cuba at a Breaking Point: Power Failures, Port Backlogs and an Urgent Supply Crisis
https://creativrole.com/news/cuba-power-failures-port-backlogs-supply-crisis/
Through The CreatiVrole Project, we are expanding our Cuba relief work to support food security, essential household needs, and practical access to energy in communities connected to people we have known and worked alongside for many years.
Donations will help provide:
- Food and nutritional assistance
- Hygiene products and essential supplies for children and older adults
- Permitted over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, diapers, and other basic medical necessities
- Solar ovens, along with guidance in their safe use and maintenance
- Rechargeable lights, solar-powered fans, batteries, solar panels, and shared charging equipment
- Music supplies and instrument-maintenance materials for students and educators
- Lawful transportation, checked baggage, local coordination, installation, and distribution costs
Our work is being organized through trusted local relationships in Havana, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo. Depending on current needs and travel conditions, members of our team and mission participants will carry designated supplies to Cuba, help place them directly into the hands of families and community partners, and provide practical support for shared solar resources.
The CreatiVrole Project is a recognized 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by U.S. law, and donors will receive a contribution receipt for their records.
This crisis is deeply personal to us. It is affecting our families, friends, musicians, educators, elders, children, and communities throughout the island. Every contribution helps us respond with care, provide immediate relief, and offer practical resources that can continue supporting people through ongoing power outages and supply shortages.
DONATE TO THE CUBA EMERGENCY RELIEF CAMPAIGN
Every contribution helps. Sharing this campaign is also an important way to support the effort.
https://creativrole.com/cuba-creative-relief-food-security-project/
Thank you for standing with the Cuban people during this emergency.
ABOUT OUR CUBA TOURS
Given the severity and uncertainty of the current situation, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily pause Havana Music Tours operations and stop accepting new Cuba bookings. After many years of building meaningful relationships with musicians, educators, families, and small businesses across the island, this is not a decision we take lightly.
For now, we believe the most responsible use of our time and resources is to focus on direct humanitarian support while we continue monitoring conditions closely. This is not the end of our work in Cuba. We remain deeply committed to the people and communities who have shaped Havana Music Tours, and we hope to resume our programs when we can do so responsibly and reliably.
Copyright (C) 2026 Musical Getaways LLC (dba Havana Music Tours). All rights reserved. [Used with permission of Chaz Chambers]
Warmly,
Chaz & Yami Chambers
https://musicalgetaways.com
Our mailing address is:
Musical Getaways LLC (d/b/a Havana Music Tours)
PO Box 662
Nederland, CO 80466
