A mother from Santiago publicly denounced alleged incidents of corruption and theft of donations intended for vulnerable children and the elderly in Santiago de Cuba, claiming that aid packages do not reach all beneficiaries and that part of the resources ends up in the hands of officials and social workers.
From her Facebook, Yurisleidis Remedios shared her complaint in a video. She explained that, after speaking with her local People's Power delegate, known as Marina, she requested information about the distribution of food packages for children and elderly individuals over 65, but found that donations are only being given to children aged 0 to 4 years, leaving out older minors.
"Someone tell me if a newborn baby eats peas, eats rice... it's a lie, but children aged 5 and older have to keep starving," he questioned.
In her complaint, the woman from Santiago stated that by excluding those over the age of four, “the government is stealing food” from those children and described the situation as “child theft.”
“To all those children, the government is stealing their food, is stealing their donations, it continues to enrich itself while the people remain more starving, more miserable,” she said, holding the Cuban government responsible for the situation, which she called “tyranny” and “piranha,” along with the “Castro-Canel henchmen.”
For Remedios, when it comes to children, everyone should have the same rights, regardless of age.
"When we talk about children, they are children; they are all children: at 13, 14 years old, they are children and have the same rights," he insisted, before delivering a powerful message: "We say no to theft, we say no to corruption, we say no to genocide, we say no to this government."
He also assured that he will continue to report cases like the one that led her to record the video.
In a second part of her speech, the mother explained why, in her opinion, the donations "will not reach the hands of those in need."
He attributed the responsibility to those who, from the social assistance structures, manage the distribution: “They have also placed everything in the hands of Alibaba and the 50 thousand thieves they have in Social Assistance,” he stated.
He recounted the specific case of an alleged teacher mobilized by social workers to distribute multifunctional pots, rice cookers, and induction stoves to "vulnerable cases."
According to the complaint, that woman boasted about having kept several devices.
“She boasted that she ended up with three multipurpose devices, three rice cookers, and two induction stoves, and that she solved one of each for her mom,” recounted Remedios, who claims to have asked for the teacher's name to be able to identify her publicly.
From that example, the complainant wondered if the director of Social Assistance in Santiago de Cuba was aware of what had happened or if she also benefited from those equipment.
"I want to know if the director of Social Assistance in Santiago de Cuba was unaware or if she also lined her pockets, or if her house also filled up with more than three items of this kind," he said, questioning that if a "merely mobilized" employee accumulated that amount of donations, it's uncertain "how far the chain of appropriation goes."
Remedios recalled that she herself is a supported mother and mother of triplets, but, as she claims, she has not received the equipment that should be provided to her.
She said they consider her a "supported mother, but completely salaried," and that she has complained to the government about her situation: "I have called the government and said that if I get a gas cylinder every 15 days and they don’t want to give it to me, then I need an induction stove, I need my pots."
The response, he asserts, has been that “we don’t have it at this moment,” while he is aware of cases—like that of the mobilized teacher—where it is believed that similar equipment has been retained improperly.
The woman added that on one occasion she was made to sign a document stating the delivery of clothing, shoes, and backpacks for each of her children, but in practice, she only received the backpacks.
“ I want to know which social worker's house I should go to in order to retrieve the equipment that has been stolen from me, because I was asked to sign a paper that stated clothing, shoes, and a backpack, and I only received the backpack for each child. Where are the clothes and shoes? At the bottom of each of their pockets, which are a bunch of shameless people,” she reported.
In his message, he directly held the structures of Social Assistance and social workers responsible for enriching themselves at the expense of the most vulnerable.
“Everyone, starting with your president and including you, Social Assistance, social workers, you are all a bunch of thieves who are latched onto the teat of Cuba, and until you leave us breathless and soul-less, you will not abandon this country. You continue to enrich yourselves daily at the expense of the people,” he stated, accusing them of being part of the “elite” that keeps the people “hungry and in need.”
Yurisleidis Remedios' complaint adds to other voices from various provinces that have questioned the lack of transparency and the management of donations sent to Cuba following natural disasters or in times of crisis, as well as how assistance is administered to vulnerable families.
In her case, the Santiago mother concluded her message with an open political call: “Homeland and Life, and we want to change the system… That’s all I had to say today. Homeland and Life,” she emphasized, making it clear that her demands extend beyond the specific management of donations, focusing instead on the government model that, in her opinion, allows and perpetuates these practices.
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