TheCuban priest Leandro Naun Hung, who from her social media exposes the invisibilized reality of rural communities in Santiago de Cuba, recently shared the story ofa mother who uses purslane leavesas a method of survival.
Naun published a video on YouTube where a mother is seen preparing what he called a "survival recipe."
The woman explained that her dish of purslane includes sweet potato vine leaves and also another plant species known as lamb's quarters.
"I use sweet potato leaves that are healthy and don't have any little holes," clarified the mother.
He pointed out that first the leaves are washed well and drained. Then, in oil, a garlic clove is sautéed.
The leaves need to be cooked until they soften, he indicated. "When I don't have fat, I first boil them to soften and then add flavor," he emphasized.
Naun, after trying the recipe, concluded: "It tastes like herbs."
Amid smiles, the mother pointed out: “That's why when you add seasoning or the Goya packet, it kills that flavor.”
The father, who usually distributes food and other types of help to the mountainous communities of Santiago de Cuba, shared white rice and chickpeas with the mother and her son.
"I have only eaten this once in my life," said the woman, who explained that on other occasions she has eaten leaves of yerba mora, guaniquiqui, cassava shoots, and ají culebra.
The situation of extreme poverty affecting some Cubans forces them to take desperate measures to survive.
Recently, a Cuban mother identified as Solange Romero, residing in La Guinera, Arroyo Naranjo, asked for help for herself and her children amid the desperate housing situation they are in.
The young woman has five children, is pregnant with twins, and lives in extreme poverty in a wooden house that floods every time it rains.
In a live broadcast published on Facebook, she explained that every time it rains, she has to get into bed with her children until the storm passes, due to leaks in the roof of her precarious home.
And although their situation is extraordinary, it is not the only case like this in Cuba.
In January of this year, another similar story moved dozens of Cubans when the story of Yuliet, a mother of seven children living in extreme poverty in the province of Camagüey, became public.
Yuliet, 31 years old, did not have enough resources to feed or clothe her children, and her housing was in a deplorable state, with the whole family sleeping in a single bed.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) presented in July the VII Report on the State of Social Rights in Cuba 2024, with revealing results about the Cuban reality.
The non-governmental organization highlighted in the document that "89% of Cuban families suffer from extreme poverty," one percentage point more than the previous year and 13% more than in 2022.
One of the most significant pieces of information highlights that "7 out of 10 Cubans have stopped having breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to a lack of money or food shortages."
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