"I feel dizzy from not eating," says an elderly Cuban woman who lives in extreme poverty

The elderly woman resides in the province of Holguín in conditions of extreme poverty.

2 | 2/15/2024 - 8:18am (GMT-5)

An elderly Cuban woman who lives in conditions of extreme poverty with her husband in Escondida, a rural town 90 kilometers fromHolguin, admitted in conversation with Norge Ernesto Díaz Blak (Noly Blak) that she was dizzy because she was hungry.

The social activist - who usually helps people in his province thanks to supportive people who make donations - explained in avideo spread on Facebook that he had visited the house because several drivers who circulate in that area had told him about the painful conditions in which the grandparents subsist.

The elderly woman stated that her husband was not at home because he was working. Astonished that the old man was still working, the woman replied.

“He works and what is he going to do, son? The checkbook they give us is not even enough to begin with.”, he pointed out.

The old woman showed the interior of the house, a place without the minimum conditions for living. They sleep on a mattress made of straw and sacks and he said he does not make the bed because he does not have sheets.

They also do not have a bathroom, which forces them to use a urinal or relieve themselves wherever they appear.

Noly Blak asked her followers for help toSend the elderly couple some food and other aid that improves, even minimally, the painful conditions in which the couple subsists.

The activist spread two accounts, one in Cuban pesos (CUP 9238 1299 7534 1985) and another in Freely Convertible Currency (MLC 9235 1299 7681 5824). The number to confirm is 53082732.

Noly Blak also asked that those who wish to help remember to leave their name private for the list he publishes in gratitude to donors.

The publication, made on February 12, so far has more than 14 thousand reactions and 1,300 comments, which shows how much the topic touches the hearts of thousands of Cubans.

Unfortunately, the dramatic circumstances shown by the Holguín activist are multiplying throughout the country.

Recently theCuban regime recognized that 1,236 communities in Cuba live in misery. This was admitted by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, to Miguel Díaz-Canel during a work meeting in which she assured that 96% of the problems related to extreme poverty in the country are "in the process of comprehensive transformation." ", just when Cuba is going through one of the worst economic crises in its history.

The elderly are, without a doubt, one of the groups most affected by the crisis of recent years. Every day it is more common to find older people in Cuba who survive by begging for alms, searching for food scraps in the garbage and even sleeping on the street. Begging has increased significantly on the island in a context marked by inflation, shortages of basic products and low salaries and pensions.

At the same time, on social networks more and more Cubans have noted the seriousness of the phenomenon of begging, especially among the elderly, a reality that for decades the regime assured could not be found on the streets of the country.

In recent months, reports and images have exploded on social media of elderly Cubans taking to the streets to try to find what to eat, since they have absolutely nothing at home.

In mid-January, a young Cuban woman turned to Facebook to make the case of a 75-year-old man who knocked on the door of his house to ask for something to eat Well, according to what the older adult told him, he had not eaten anything for two days.

“Hunger is killing me”, another 89-year-old man admitted in September of last year in shocking statements to the independent media.Cubanet.