JDiver

Things we take for granted can be scarce and useful in Cuba.

But I was told by Cubans that some of the people begging for toiletries downtown are there every day and merely resell them.

I had to see a doctor. I gave her my US drugstore battery operated temple thermometer and she was extremely grateful. In her office they were using liquid-filled glass oral thermometers that are easily breakable, take some time to register and need alcohol disinfection.

It was also easy to find OTC meds like aspirin or ibuprofen / paracetamol, but not so easy to find useful antibiotics like ciprofloxacin to treat gastrointestinal infections. I had to visit three "farmacia international" pharmacies before I found some (nope, I didn't get a g.i. infection in Cuba; I actually got it in Miami the day before departing to Cuba.)

High quality Band-Aids / sticking plasters can be hard to find. (In Turkey the ones I found were made in Egypt, and they adhered very poorly) - similar issue in Cuba, cheap and low quality, can be found in the cheapest imported what-have-you.

The little LED torches / flashlights (as long as they use common AA or AAA batteries) are appreciated for the light they give and their miserliness at using up batteries. A solar G-Shock or similar watch would be a great gift - no batteries, very durable.

Rechargeable batteries and a charger make a lovely gift.

We visited a school where the teacher was suffering from a lotbof "water retention"; good compression socks or stockings would be a blessing for her or anyone in her condition. Try finding (and affording) those in Cuba.

I also had several The Economist magazines; they were eagerly accepted, given the paucity of information in Cuba. (If asked I'd merely say they were my reading material during rainy days or the flight.)