Cubans settle in a rural town in Spain thanks to the Arraigo Project.

The Cuban Jorge Antonio Sanzo Rodríguez and his wife, Madelaine Rita Castañeda, left Cuba eight years ago to live in Spain. They spent five years in Tenerife and three years in Asturias, but their financial stability was not achieved.

The couple decided to move to a rural area of Spain where they have found better job opportunities with the Arraigo Project, an initiative that seeks to repopulate small towns in the Iberian country.

At first, they were skeptical of the offers they saw online, which is why the couple contacted Miguel Chavarria, the project director in the province of Cuenca, who guided them throughout the process.

Thanks to their help, they were able to settle in Villar de Domingo García, a small village where Jorge takes care of the maintenance of a hunting estate, and Madelaine contributes to the administration.

The couple emphasizes the support received since they joined the Arraigo Project. "They helped us with all the paperwork and the move. They have been very good to us," Jorge told Las Noticias de Cuenca.

The proximity of this new destination to their family in Benidorm and Almería was also an incentive for the move, as they are now only 350 kilometers apart.

In Villar de Domingo García, they have been well received by the community, mainly composed of elderly people, and have already encouraged other Cuban families to follow in their footsteps.

"We have enjoyed the experience so much that we have encouraged people to come here," the Cubans assured. In fact, several families have already initiated contacts with the Arraigo Project, and their arrival could reopen the local school.

The Arraigo Project has helped 50 families settle in the province of Cuenca since its creation, resulting in the repopulation of several towns.

In addition, they have contacted more than 700 families interested in joining this initiative that aims to revitalize rural areas of Spain.

In 2023, the number of Cubans residing in Spain reached a historic high of nearly 200,000, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

As of February 2024, there were 198,639 people born in Cuba registered, of which 73,548 have the status of residents.