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An 11-year-old boy was seen selling puddings on the streets of Santiago de Cuba, according to a report posted on Facebook by activist and writer Yasser Sosa Tamayo, who shared images and a detailed account of the incident.
"Sometimes one walks through life distracted, until reality grabs you by the neck and forces you to look. Today was one of those days: an 11-year-old boy walking on a broken sidewalk, with worn-out flip-flops, carrying a tray of puddings on one arm... and unknowingly, shouldering the entire weight of a fractured country," Sosa wrote in his Facebook post.
"That's not cute. That's not admirable. That's violence," he added.
The activist recounted that an elderly man wanted to buy him a pudding, but he didn't have enough money, and the boy replied, "Don't worry, grandpa, I'll make up the money."
When Sosa asked him why he did it, the boy said, "Because my grandfather taught me to help."
In the text, Sosa added: “A child who helps while life strikes them is the most fierce proof that kindness can arise even amidst shipwreck. But this is not a pretty story, nor a postcard to soften distracted hearts. This is not a tribute; this is an indictment.” “A child working is not normal. A child solving problems is not normal. A child supporting the emotional and material economy of a household is not normal. It is a collective failure. It is a social failure. It is the brutal evidence that poverty is consuming what should be sacred: childhood,” he lamented.
The post, which has already surpassed 1,400 reactions, received dozens of comments within a few hours. Most express sadness, outrage, and empathy toward the reality it describes.
"That gives me pain, it’s not their time to fight, but they have shame and dignity, and love for others. What a heart to give what they sell; may the Lord bless you, prince, God takes care of you and will double your efforts," wrote a user.
Another comment noted: "What a sad anecdote, and the image, along with a good-hearted little boy. God bless him and all the children of Cuba and the world who are enduring struggles they do not deserve."
Someone recounted a similar experience: “Many people live like that; here in Havana, it's more visible. In my area, Manglar Centro Habana, it’s not very common, but near my café, there’s a boy around 9 or 10 years old who asks us for trash to throw away and for some money. Of course, I don't allow that; we give him food and some sweets, and he becomes happy. We ask him why he’s not in school, and he says it's until one o'clock, and afterward, he goes out to struggle. It’s heartbreaking to see how they are losing their childhood, and many of those who are supposed to look after them just watch and do nothing, continuing to ignore the cruel reality. Yasser, may God watch over you and always accompany you. Blessings.”
Other users reported the inequality: "The saddest thing is that while this child, who should be studying, playing, or watching TV, is fighting to survive, the children of those who loudly proclaim equality are studying at private universities in Europe or simply enjoying their businesses abroad."
There were also messages of shared pain: “Like you, I see and it hurts me; where I live, children carry water for money, thin as they are, the buckets, gallons, and tanks weigh more than they do. It hurts”; “Cuba hurts, this is not what our parents fought for”; “They have taken away even that from this people, that children can be children.”
Other similar stories
The story of the boy from Santiago is not an isolated incident. Similar cases have been reported in various provinces across the country. In the same eastern city, another nine-year-old boy was seen selling chicken patties on Enramadas Street to support his family. “Every coin he collects is a lost dream. Every adult who watches without taking action is part of this tragedy,” wrote Sosa Tamayo about that case.
Further into the center of the country, two siblings in Ciego de Ávila walk eight kilometers every day to sell guavas to help their mother. A man who met them recounted: “We can provide a little bit of happiness to a girl and a boy who, if you've seen them around, you'll know they radiate joy even while working outside the bounds of what logic would suggest.”
Also in the center of the island, a nine-year-old boy named Kevin sells bottles of shampoo "to buy food for my mom and my little brother, who is 7 years old, and also to buy myself a pack of pellys," he explained in an interview. In that same province, a fifteen-year-old teenager with a tracheostomy, known as Tito, works selling pizzas on the street to help support his family, despite his fragile health condition.
"Let's never normalize it."
In a subsequent comment, Sosa Tamayo summarized his reflection on the subject: "Poverty should not force a child to become an adult before their time. May this story shake us, hurt us, and compel us to confront what many prefer to ignore: childhood is bleeding out in plain sight. Let us never normalize this."
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