Havana Work & study

Work

There are a number of bodies offering volunteer work in Cuba, though it is always best to organize things in your home country first. Just turning up in Habana and volunteering can be difficult, even impossible. Take a look at the following websites:

Canada-Cuba Farmer to Farmer Project (www.farmer tofarmer.ca) A Vancouver-based sustainable agriculture organization.

Canada World Youth (1-514-931-3526; www.cwy-jcm.org) The head office is in Montreal, Canada.

Cuban Solidarity Campaign (44-20-72-63-64-52; www.cuba-solidarity.org) The head office is in London, UK.

National Network on Cuba (www.cubasolidarity.com) US-based solidarity group.

Pastors for Peace (1-212-926-5757; www.ifconews.org) Collects donations across US to take to Cuba.

Witness for Peace (1-202-588-1471; www.witnessforpeace.org) The organization is looking for Spanish speakers for a two-year commitment.

Business hours

Some offices are open from 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Saturday with a lunch break from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, although most stay open continuously from 9am to 5pm. Offices remain closed every other Saturday. Post offices are generally open 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday; banks only open 9am to 3pm weekdays and close at noon on the last working day of each month.

Shopping hours are generally from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 2pm Sunday. Pharmacies are open from 8am to 8pm daily, while museums maintain hours from 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and 8am to noon Sunday. Make a note that a lot of touristy stuff is closed in Habana on Monday. Churches are often open only for Mass, although you’ll sometimes be let in the back door if you ask around.

Most restaurants are open 10:30am to 11pm daily; paladares (privately run restaurants) usually open at noon and stay open a little later.