Solar Microgrid Project in Campamento 7
One Shared Future Un Futuro Compartido (OSF) is launching a solar microgrid initiative in Campamento 7, a residential community within the municipality of Cienfuegos on Cuba’s south-central coast. The project will retrofit 23 residential buildings, each housing six family units, with building-level solar microgrids powered by donated photovoltaic (PV) panels and shared battery storage, providing reliable electricity to 138 families affected by frequent and prolonged power outages.
Originally constructed as temporary shelter and later converted into permanent, rent-free housing for families without stable residences, Campamento 7 faces significant energy challenges. Even before the current energy crisis, which has worsened widespread blackouts, residents of Campamento 7 regularly endured outages lasting up to 24 hours. Irregular and unpredictable electricity disrupts daily life, including access to food, water, and essential services, and complicates care work, education, people’s livelihoods.
Cienfuegos is ideally suited for solar energy generation, receiving approximately 3,376 hours of sunlight annually, with an average of 281 hours per month. The project will utilize donated and recycled solar panels provided by Sunset Renewables, an Indigenous-owned renewable energy company based in Canada. By repurposing renewable energy equipment that still has significant productive life remaining, the initiative significantly reduces capital costs while promoting circular economy principles and responsible technology reuse.
Beyond improving energy access, the project is expected to generate lasting community-wide benefits. Reliable electricity will strengthen food security through refrigeration and safer food storage, improve access to water where pumping is required, support educational continuity through lighting and device charging, and enhance health and safety by reducing reliance on unsafe lighting and cooking alternatives. The initiative will also provide safer living conditions for elderly residents and individuals with disabilities, and support those who provide essential and life-giving care in domestic spaces.
A key component of the project is active community engagement. Residents of Campamento 7 will participate in documenting their experiences, identifying challenges, and providing feedback to guide the design, operation, and ongoing improvement of the community-managed solar microgrids. This participatory approach will foster local ownership, build technical capacity, and generate valuable knowledge to inform future renewable energy projects across Cuba.
While the Government of Canada has provided funding for the Campamento 7 Solar Project, additional funds are needed to complete the project. Please reach out if you are interested in supporting this important initiative.
Each of the 23 buildings in campamento 7 have an identical design with ample roof space for solar panels
Alfredo sharing information about the project with the residents of Campamento 7
Period Product Equity
A Simple Act, a Life-Saving Difference
Community partnerships
We believe in the power of collective action. In a world where many feel powerless to make real change, One Shared Future Un Futuro Compartido offers a tangible, trustworthy way to repurpose resources and empower communities. Our mission is grounded in the belief that a more equitable and sustainable world is possible when we share what we have to support those who need it most. Discover the initiatives and projects we support, visit our donations page to learn how you can contribute, and reach out—we’d love to have you involved.
In Cuba, a severe shortage of menstrual products forces many women to turn to the black market—where prices are so inflated that they may spend nearly one-fifth of their monthly salary to meet this basic need. We partner with local women's groups to distribute donated pads, period panties and menstrual cups to the broader community. Learn more about how you can get involved.
A simple change of gloves can mean the difference between healing and a life-threatening infection. That’s why we’re so grateful to African Aid International for partnering with us to provide essential medical supplies—surgical gloves, masks, and thermometers—to healthcare providers in Havana. Your support helps protect both patients and frontline workers, and brings critical resources to a community where every item truly counts.
Watch a short reel about the impact of donated menstrual products
Watch a short reel about the hospitals who received the donations from African Aid International
Medicine is Not Sold
The Special Grandparents' House
Laura, a dedicated local dentist in Havana, has transformed her home into a vital community hub—redistributing donations twice a week from the steps of her apartment or arranging deliveries for those in need. Her efforts are part of the initiative “Medicine Is Not Sold”, founded by Dr. Yashar Keramati while he was a medical student in Havana. The project emerged from a simple idea: build a decentralized, people-powered system to share the limited medicines available. Using WhatsApp, the network grew rapidly, enabling people to post both their medical needs and surplus supplies. Today, it includes four active groups with over 1,000 members each, connecting patients and families across Havana and surrounding communities.
The center brings together essential services—free daily meals, comprehensive healthcare support, and social care—to serve some of the city’s most vulnerable seniors, many of whom survive on pensions as low as six U.S. dollars per month. A collaborative effort between the Municipal Government, the Municipal Health Directorate, and the Office of the Historian, the facility stands as a testament to what community-driven public support can achieve. Staffed by a compassionate team of 28 professionals, the center provides daytime care for up to 50 elderly residents and extends medical and social services to 6,500 inhabitants in the broader community.
Take a 360 tour of the beautiful Centre in Old Havana
Watch a short reel about the widespread impact of the Medicine is Not Sold project
Visit Dr. Keramati's social media feeds @sharinghealth.privilege
Respect for every living creature
In Cuba, the absence of state-run shelters means that the rescue, rehabilitation, sterilization, and rehoming of street animals is left entirely to self-funded volunteers. Many residents who migrate are unable to take their pets with them. Others are forced to abandon animals due to the high costs of veterinary care, sterilization, and food. To support these grassroots efforts, we collect and donate veterinary medicines and supplies to local organizations including Cubanos en Defensa de los Animales (CEDA), Protección Animal S.O.S. (PASOS), Colonia Aldama, Cuban Association for the Protection of Animals and Plants (Aniplant) and four private shelters, each housing over 30 animals.
Colonia Aldama: Protected Animal Colony in Havana
It all began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restaurants around Parque Aldama in Centro Habana shut their doors—leaving the neighborhood’s homeless cats without a reliable source of food. In response, a small group of compassionate volunteers began feeding them daily. Today, the protected colony of Colonia Aldama is home to over 120 cats and 2 dogs, supported entirely by volunteers. Injured or abandoned animals are often left at the park’s gate and hundreds of newborn kittens are also surrendered, as most Cubans cannot afford the high cost of sterilizing their pets. They partner with Aniplant and local veterinarians to offer no-cost sterilization services.
Aniplant: Compassion in Action Across Cuba
Aniplant traces its origins to the work of a visionary Cuban American woman who, at the turn of the century, stood firmly against animal cruelty and founded The Mercy Group—a society devoted to the humane treatment of animals in Cuba. Aniplant has grown into a nationwide network, with active branches in every Cuban province and its main headquarters located in Centro Habana. The organization provides low-cost—or entirely free—veterinary care, making basic services accessible to all, regardless of income. It also offers valuable internship opportunities for veterinary students, helping train the next generation of animal care professionals. One of Aniplant's key goals is creating a national culture against the abandonment of healthy or sick animals onto the streets of Cuba. With clinical consultations offered for less than 5 cents Canadian, Maritiza and her team of veterinarians are making the care of animals in Cuba within reach of all.
