The Cuban influencer Milenita (Milena Sánchez Rodríguez) published a video on Instagram this Monday, in which she appears alongside her husband, nicknamed "Puti", supporting children selling sweets on the streets of Cuba and encouraging her followers to do the same.
"Supporting these children who sell sweets in Cuba. If you see them, buy all their sweets. The dried peaches were very good. Blessings to them," wrote Milenita in the video description, lasting two minutes and 16 seconds.
The couple's gesture did not go unnoticed among their followers, who responded with thousands of reactions on the platform.
The video reflects an increasingly visible reality in Cuba: minors selling candies, bread, avocados, peanuts, and other products on the streets and at traffic lights to support their families amid the severe economic crisis the country is experiencing.
Despite the fact that Cuban legislation prohibits child labor, the need has normalized these scenes in high traffic areas of Havana and other cities, sometimes during school hours.
Human rights organizations such as the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP) have reported the presence of child vendors in the streets as a direct reflection of inflation and poverty, contradicting the official claims of the regime regarding the eradication of child labor on the island.
The "orejones" that Milenita mentions are a type of candy popular among these small street vendors, who offer them to drivers and passersby in search of a few coins to take home.
Milenita, based in the United States where she studies nursing, is one of the most beloved Cuban influencers in the diaspora, known for her authentic personality and her closeness to the reality of the island.
Her husband "Puti" is a regular figure in her content and is highly appreciated by the community that follows the couple, which in recent months has been at the center of several moments that have generated positive reactions among their followers.
This act of solidarity adds to a history in which Milenita has shown her more humane side, such as when she returned to Cuba on December 31, 2025 to reunite with her family, a moment she described as "the best December 31 of my life because I spent it with them".
Milenita's call to buy all the candies from these children resonated among her followers as a reminder that, in the face of the crisis imposed by the Cuban dictatorship, small acts of solidarity can make a real difference in the lives of the most vulnerable families on the island.
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