An elderly man was seen searching for food in Santiago de Cuba this Wednesday, a clear sign of the worsening economic crisis and how vulnerable individuals are being forced to seek ways to survive.
The communicator Yosmany Mayeta posted the photographs on Facebook, noting that this is not the first time he has shared such content on the social media platform. He also mentioned that they were taken at the José Martí Urban Center.
"Given the difficult situation on the island, these unfortunate scenes are being witnessed daily, where elderly individuals, most of whom are retired, rummage through the trash in search of food to survive," warned the independent journalist.
However, on some occasions, these individuals do sift through the waste in the hope of finding food scraps, which they then sell to pig farmers as an additional way to make a living amidst the crushing economic inflation.
The sad reality of elderly individuals in destitution, searching for food in the trash, is occurring in several Cuban cities.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) denounced in April the rise of homelessness in the country and shared videos that highlight the increase of this issue.
The situation has become routine in the provinces of Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba, warned the non-governmental organization in a video posted on the social media platform X.
Begging in Cuba is a reality that the government can no longer conceal as it did in the past. The figures from year to year show significant increases in extreme poverty on the island.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), Cuba has recorded 3,690 individuals roaming the streets between 2014 and 2023, as reported by the state newspaper Trabajadores in an article published last April.
A masked figure that does not account for those who, for various reasons, have had to resort to begging in front of churches or in front of the few tourists who arrive on the Caribbean island each year.
Neither are those who, due to high prices, food shortages, and low pensions, have had to resort to "diving" into the trash in search of sustenance for their fragile stomachs.
Filed under: