Havana, Cuba - As President Donald Trump's administration continues to impose a brutal and punishing oil blockade on Cuba, locals are turning to ox-drawn carts as a way of transporting crucial aid.
Pushing a modified bicycle that serves him as a wheelchair, Teodardo Debardet returns home after receiving an aid package sent by the US to Cuban victims of last year's Hurricane Melissa.
Even as the Trump administration maintains a harsh fuel blockade and a slew of sanctions pile misery on Cubans, it continues to send relief to Melissa victims through the Catholic NGO Caritas.
Aid packages include rice, beans, oil, and canned goods, along with hygiene products like soap, detergent, toothbrushes, and chlorine tablets for purifying water.
The Caritas volunteers, as part of the care package, also offer the victims medical check-ups and haircuts.
When Hurricane Melissa roared across the country, Debardet – a double amputee who lives outside the town of El Cobre – saw his roof ripped off and his bathroom destroyed.
In his rural community of just over 130 inhabitants, less than half of the homes have electricity, and only a minority have access to piped water. Many residents have still not been able to repair their roofs.
The distribution of the US aid is hampered by fuel shortages aggravated by Trump's blockade, which has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis across the island nation.
"It's a little difficult for us because we have to find transportation, get fuel, and see who can give us a ride," said Katia Simon, head of Caritas in El Cobre.
When the petrol and diesel run out, the aid is transported by ox-drawn cart, Simon revealed.