Activists are calling for support to ensure that children in Cuba start the school year with school supplies

Activist Lara Crofs, whose real name is Yamilka Lafita, launched a social media campaign to support Cuban children at the start of the school year.

The goal is that no child is left without the basics: notebooks, backpacks, pencils, or shoes.

“A pencil, a notebook, a pad are not weapons of power; they are tools for a child to learn, write their name, and dream of a better future. Let us not confuse the guilty. Children are not responsible for the regime or indoctrination; they are the first victims of this broken system,” he wrote in a message shared on Facebook.

The activist explained that her generation was also subjected to indoctrination, but that thanks to education, they learned to think and organize themselves.

He remembered the protest in front of the Ministry of Culture in 2021 as an example of how civil society can mobilize.

“If we turn our backs on them today, what do they have left? Ignorance? Resentment? That indeed strengthens oppression, because a people without basic education are easier to manipulate,” he added.

Lafita insisted that helping is not legitimizing the regime, but rather an act of humanity and resistance, because where the State falls short, civil society can organize to uphold dignity, thereby revealing principles of her ethics as a human rights activist in Cuba.

"A notebook, a backpack, or a pair of shoes isn't going to change the system, but it can change a child's life. And that is already a huge step towards freedom, because hope is also something you write," he stated.

She accompanied the post with an image carrying a powerful message: “In Cuba, many families struggle to meet the basic needs for the start of the school year. You can make a difference!”

The activist invited Cubans both on and off the Island to collaborate with the campaign and contribute "their bit."

For those who wish to contribute, donation accounts have been set up in CUP (9205 9598 7787 1948) and in MLC (9235 9598 7153 0478), with confirmation at the number 50825677, as a means to ensure that each contribution reaches its destination.

Each donation, she emphasized, is a gesture of solidarity with the children, adolescents, and youth of a country marked by an educational crisis.

In Cuba, education has been impacted by the country's overall crisis, affecting not only school infrastructures but also the daily lives of thousands of families.

A mother in Camagüey recounted how her son is living her childhood story: studying during blackouts, with recycled notebooks and exhausted teachers.

The scene, although personal, captures the state of the Cuban educational system, where the physical deterioration of schools intertwines with the emotional and material scarcity faced by educators.

The new school year began without minimal guarantees for its development, marked by power outages, a shortage of teachers, and classrooms in precarious conditions.

The authorities acknowledged the situation, but their measures have been insufficient in a scenario where educational institutions lack even basic lighting to ensure classes, leaving students to endure their days in dim conditions.

The lack of resources also translates into patched backpacks, hand-me-down uniforms, and incomplete notebooks. Many families have been forced to improvise with what they have on hand so their children can attend school.

The notebook for two subjects or the repaired pair of shoes have become symbols of silent resistance against state abandonment.

Frequently asked questions about the school supplies activism campaign in Cuba