Related videos:
The Cuban community both on the island and abroad raised more than 1,137,000 pesos for a pair of siblings from the Paraíso neighborhood in Holguín, who live in extreme poverty, following the release of a video by social activist Noly Blak that revealed their situation.
The couple consists of a woman with ataxia and HIV, and her brother, who is blind and has also been a carrier of the virus for 13 years.
At the time of the visit, both had gone three days without food and lived in a house with a roof that lets the rain in, lacking basic hygiene and nutrition conditions.
The woman explained how she contracted HIV: "Selling my body to be able to eat." Her brother, for his part, revealed that her mobility is so limited that she moves on all fours: "When I walk, I crawl."
Noly Blak, whose real name is Norge Ernesto Díaz Blak, is an activist and content creator based in Holguín who documents cases of extreme poverty in Cuba and organizes citizen solidarity campaigns through social media.
During the visit to the Paraíso neighborhood, the activist stated: "That’s why they try to silence me, because they never want to see the reality."
Following the release of the video, Noly Blak published four lists of donors—titled "Caso Paraíso #1," "#2," "#3," and "#4"—featuring dozens of identified and anonymous contributors who donated in Cuban pesos and dollars.
Among the donors are individuals, religious groups such as the Church La Colina de la Cruz and the Movement Río de Dios, and Cubans residing in various provinces and abroad.
The woman from the Paraíso neighborhood summarized the situation with a phrase that captures the state abandonment they are facing: "We are not asking for wealth, just a little help, a small help. Since this government refuses to assist, we are turning to other means."
This is not the first case involving Noly Blak. In April of this year, the Cuban people raised more than 3.6 million pesos to buy a house and appliances for a pregnant mother with three children who cooked with firewood and lacked a decent home.
In March, the activist surprised homeless individuals and people with disabilities in the streets of Holguín by distributing 65,000 pesos in bundles of 2,000.
The abandonment of patients with HIV in Cuba has documented precedents.
In June 2023, an elderly woman from Holguín who carries the virus was found living in the vicinity of the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Provincial Hospital, begging for food: "I am an AIDS patient living on the streets. I do this to eat."
Organized citizen solidarity through social networks has become the only form of assistance for thousands of Cubans in situations of extreme vulnerability, in light of the collapse of the state's social services.
Similar cases of Cubans repairing homes for elderly couples or giving homes to children in extreme poverty in Holguín illustrate a recurring pattern in light of the regime's inaction.
Noly Blak announced the total amount raised with a message of gratitude on Facebook: "1 million 137,000 pesos. Thank you, my God."
Filed under: