Cuba para Cristo - Cuba for Christ
What To Take
Clothes
Cuba is a Caribbean country, with temperatures typically hot and often humid. Rain is heavy, when it happens, but dries quickly.
You will not normally need more than one layer of clothing. If e.g. travelling at night in the back of an open lorry, you could wear a T-shirt and another shirt to cover - but even then you might expect to only need one layer.
Shorts, T-shirts, etc are acceptable in the street. But for church activities, "short" shorts - e.g. running shorts - are not appreciated by Cubans!
You should take something smart for church - we suggest one pair of trousers or a skirt, and two shirts/blouses/tops (so you always have one top clean). The church in Cuba is poor, but people make an effort to be clean and well presented in the church meetings. This applies to Sunday services especially, though you should also wear respectful clothes for prayer meetings and home groups.
Personal
Personal toiletries, plus any medication you need, sufficient for your visit. Do not expect to be able to buy what you need out there. You will find it helpful to keep your own toilet roll with you.
You will not need to take bedding, but if you have a sheet-sleeping bag, take that just in case. You will need nothing more than a sheet.
Mosquitoes are active near the coast. Mosquito nets can be useful. You could also buy those slow burning mosquito coils. Buy plenty, and be prepared to leave some behind as gifts. Those coils using flames are better than electric ones - not least because the latter do not work in power cuts!
Vaccinations
There are four things you must have and two more to consider.
Must Have
- Typhoid.
- Hepatitis A. You can get a combined shot with Typhoid. The water is rife with the stuff. If you have a booster six months later you'll be immune for ten years.
- Rabies. You do need this if you are coming to visit the seminary in Santiago, which has its own farm and its own guard dog. You may well be told you don't need it; insist. The vaccine makes the difference between having time to find you the nearest hospital and not. Note that it's three injections over the course of four weeks.
- Tetanus-Diphtheria. Make sure your boosters are up-to-date. You should have had one within the last ten years.
Optional
- Hepatitis B. A good idea if you're going for a long time or, obviously, to other countries where it's an issue.
- Varicella (Chickenpox). The US say you should, but in the UK some GPs haven't heard of such a vaccine. You may be immune if you've had it before, and may not know it.
Health Insurance
Make sure this covers you for Cuba. Cuban hospitals aren't allowed to treat you, nor would you want them to: they often don't have needles. The tourist hospitals charge £1000 a night before they even treat you, so don't go without adequate insurance. (If on holiday in Varadero, as it's a tourist resort, there is nothing to worry about, the hotels tend to have doctors and there are tourist clinics. Cuba boasts a doctor per 169 people, they just have few medicines and supplies.)
Other Ideas
- Water-purifying tablets
- Spanish / English Bibles for team members (leave at end of trip)
- English songs in small booklet form for team members (easier for "performing" in church and for team time)
- Plastic carrier bags
- Lots of dioralite for diarrhoea!
- Portable fan; hand or electric - the Cuban summer is very hot and humid
- Baby wipes; antiseptic handwash soap from Superdrug - good when water cut
- Footballs
- Toilet roll / packets of tissues
- Musical instruments
- Mini sewing kit
- CDs for travelling
- Craft materials for holiday clubs