When a post circulated on social media alerting about the precarious situation of a girl in Camagüey, journalist José Luis Tan Estrada first decided to verify the accuracy of the information and then offer assistance to the 10-year-old girl.
Tan published some details about the life of Camila on Facebook this Monday. Camila is a girl who lives with her father, who, due to vision problems, is unable to care for her properly.
"Camila is 10 years old and she tells me that she prefers math over Spanish. She finished the school year with good grades and will be going into sixth grade," he noted.
"But life has not been kind to her. She lives with her father, who has serious vision problems and is unable to care for her. There isn't much information about her mother, only that she lives somewhere in the eastern part of the country," the reporter also noted.
She added that Camila has no clothes or shoes and lacks proper nutrition. "She wears size 38 and is very thin. According to some neighbors, the girl 'has been through so much.'"
Finally, she said that anyone interested in helping Camila and her father should write to her "to let her know where I will be collecting the donations."
This story has found receptive ears among Cuban activists, who have shown a willingness to assist this low-income family.
In the comments section, Yankiel Fernández, coordinator of the Humanitarian Project Aliento de Vida, stated: "I have little clothes here."
Johanna Jolá Álvarez, who leads the Huellas team, stated: "I would like to help the little girl. Could you collect donations if we send them from Havana?"
For his part, Eider Matos added, "And how do we send things from here in Havana? My daughter can give him one or two pairs of shoes. Clothes wouldn’t work because they would be way too big, but shoes yes, and in the best condition."
Similarly, Yaimara Obregón Han said: “My brother, I have some uniform blouses that will be suitable for the new school year. I’ll let you know when I bring them to the República location where I work so you can pick them up. I think I have some shoes if your size is 38.”
In Cuba, children are one of the groups most affected by the economic crisis, which is reflected in material shortages and inadequate nutrition.
This situation forces activists and family members to turn to social media repeatedly to seek help.
Recently, the family of a Cuban child suffering from the disease known as "butterfly skin" requested assistance in obtaining the medications the child needs.
Liam was born with a chronic genetic condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa, commonly referred to as "butterfly skin," which causes blisters to form on his skin from merely scratching or friction from clothing, according to a Facebook post from the profile "ElMusk Reeve."
In April, a 15-year-old Cuban teenager battling brain cancer needed support from the exile community to sustain himself in the United States, where he was receiving medical treatment.
Jenniffer Williams launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Jorge Domínguez and his mother Katheryne, who were in the United States on a health tourism visa so that a hospital could treat the sick Cuban teenager suffering from cancer.
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