A video posted on social media touched the hearts of thousands by showcasing the story of Jordi Rubel Chávez Brito, an 11-year-old boy who walks the streets of Camagüey in the early hours of the morning, collecting aluminum cans to help support his family.
The author of the video, identified as David Vela, recounted on Instagram that he found the minor walking alone with his collection of cans around midnight, about two kilometers from his home. He decided to drive him back to his house and document the conditions in which the family lives.
The images show a house with a wooden roof covered in nylon. "It gets wet when it rains heavily... so you go to sleep, and when it rains, it's hard to sleep. Everything gets wet, and then the next day, I can't dry it in the sun," the narrator describes as he walks through the interior of the house.
When asked why he collects cans, Jordi responds in a timid voice, "To help my mom." He adds, "So we can eat. I can't eat anything today. It's not easy."
The child's dream, as David recounts in the publication, is not a phone, brand-name clothes, or toys: "His biggest dream is to give his mom a refrigerator so they can preserve food and live a little more comfortably."
"Imagine for a moment what it means for a child to have such a simple yet important dream for their family. No child should bear such heavy worries, but when life presents difficult challenges, caring individuals also emerge who can make a difference," he added.
The video begins with a direct plea to the viewers: "To the people watching this video, please help me so I don’t have to keep going through this."
Jordi's case is not an isolated incident. The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 71 reports of child labor and begging in Cuba during 2025, and the phenomenon continues to spread.
In Camagüey, the same city where the boy lives, a 73-year-old anesthesiologist made headlines in May for roaming the streets collecting cans because her pension is not enough to make ends meet.
Just one month before Jordi's video went viral, the Union of Young Communists declared on social media that "thanks to the Revolution, child labor is not a reality in our country," a statement that sparked a wave of outrage and contradictory testimonies from Cuban citizens.
The reality documented in the video contradicts that official version. According to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, 89% of Cuban households live in extreme poverty, and 70% of the population goes without some food daily.
The average salary on the Island is about 14 dollars per month, which makes it practically impossible to purchase basic appliances like the refrigerator that Jordi dreams of.
In recent weeks, other cases of child labor in Cuba have been documented: a 10-year-old selling coconut candies on the street and a 14-year-old operating a pedicab to support his mother, among others.
Anyone wishing to support Jordi's family can contact the Cuban WhatsApp number +53 55898008, as posted by the campaign’s author on social media.
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