An elderly woman living in the rural area of Santiago de Cuba faces extreme conditions of poverty: she lives without electricity, leaving her in complete darkness, with no money and a broken stove, relying on firewood she gathers in the forest to cook. Yet, despite these hardships, she seems to maintain her smile.
Her story was shared on social media by the Catholic priest Leandro NaunHung, who posted a video on Facebook in which the elderly woman recounts her extreme hardships and expresses her gratitude for every small bit of help she receives from neighbors and compassionate individuals.
"The only light bulb I had burned out," she lamented. "There's no oil, no bright light. I have to be in the dark, asking the Lord to help me."
The lamp she used was also broken and ran out of the oil needed to light it, leaving her even more isolated during her long nights.
In addition to the lack of lighting, the woman confesses that she has no resources to fix the broken heater that lies in her home like a useless decoration.
Without money or basic food supplies, the elderly woman explains that she has not been able to cash her check for months, and although she has a strong spirit, she admits that she relies on small donations from her neighbors to survive.
"I help them, and they also lend me a hand," he says gratefully.
Her situation is even more complicated by the lack of means to stay informed. Without television or radio, she has no way of knowing about the passage of cyclones or storms until she experiences them directly.
"I don’t know where the cyclones come from; by the time you find out, it's because you’re already feeling the wind," she comments, revealing how vulnerable she feels.
The elderly woman, despite everything, maintains a positive attitude and shows admirable strength. Recently, she received a bit of oil at the store, something for which she expresses gratitude, albeit with resigned humor: "At least with a little oil, misfortune slips away," she says, smiling.
However, the harshness of their situation is evident: their life depends on solidarity and their own resilience, confronting a misery that seems permanent.
With a very distinctive style, the Catholic priest Leandro NaunHung uses social media to highlight the challenges faced by residents of rural areas in Santiago de Cuba.
However, he is often criticized by those who believe he romanticizes misery. Nevertheless, the priest has expressed that his intention is to provide his parishioners with tools to cope with the deep crisis currently affecting Cubans, especially those living in remote areas of the city.
And, in addition to sharing –in their own words– survival recipes, their posts also serve to denounce the neglect in which some people live.
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