A video posted on Facebook by Cristofer González, identified as being from Bejucal, moved thousands of people by showing Mario, a 13-year-old boy who leaves home at five in the morning to work on other people's yards to bring money home.
The video, which has garnered over 81,000 views, captures the moment when González finds the minor working on the streets of Bejucal, a municipality in the southern part of Mayabeque province, and decides to help him.
"Well, my people, today we found a little fighter," says González at the beginning of the video, before asking the boy how long he has been working.
"Since five in the morning," Mario replies.
At the time of filming, the boy had earned only 150 Cuban pesos throughout the day, cutting grass and weeds in private home yards, one of the most basic forms of informal work in the Cuban economy.
González and his wife decided to take action immediately: they gave him 1,000 additional pesos and a snack with two hot dog buns.
"We're not millionaires, but today you know how much you're going to earn," González told the boy as he counted the money.
The author also publicly shared the minor's address so that those who need to hire someone to clear their yards can find him.
"A warrior with 13 years fighting on the streets, and that's what we value, people," González stated in the video.
The response on social media was immediate: more than 4,000 people liked it, and the video garnered 427 comments, mostly expressions of solidarity and admiration for the boy.
Mario's case is not an isolated one. Child labor has expanded in Cuba amidst the worst economic crisis in its recent history, with families relying on the contributions of their minor children to meet basic needs.
The president Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted the resurgence of child labor and begging in Cuba in April 2025, following the official press acknowledging it for the first time that same month.
According to data cited by independent media, 89% of Cuban families live in extreme poverty, with the minimum wage frozen at 2,100 pesos since 2021.
Similar cases have gone viral in recent years: an eight-year-old boy was cleaning windshields in Havana to buy food, and a 15-year-old teenager was doing the same in the 10 de Octubre municipality until he was gifted a new bicycle.
In all cases, the viral spread of the video generated tangible help from Cubans inside and outside the island, in a pattern of solidarity that has become recurring due to the regime's inability to guarantee minimum living conditions for its population.
"This video gave us a lot of emotions. A boy only 13 years old trying to make a living. Don't complain about life; there are many who have to face it from a very early age. We are not millionaires, but we share the little we have. This is a champion," González wrote in the video description.
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