The Cuban regime promotes the movement «My Neighborhood for the Homeland» as a community transformation initiative, in a new attempt at surveillance and social control aimed at regaining the political presence that the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) have lost in the neighborhoods of the country.
The state channel Canal Caribe broadcast a report on the implementation of the movement in the La Asunción community, in the Popular Council North of San José de las Lajas, the provincial capital of Mayabeque, presenting it as a model to be followed throughout the country.
According to the official media, the movement — approved by the Council of State in March 2026 with the participation of Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz — is organized around three fronts: Safe Neighborhood, Participatory Neighborhood, and Productive Neighborhood.
The security front includes neighborhood surveillance and coordination with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC). The participatory aspect involves support for delegates of the People's Power, community sanitation, and health brigades. The productive component encourages the planting of food in yards and plots through voluntary work.
In La Asunción, the report highlights that the community has 22 productive backyards, four of which have been declared a national reference by the CDR themselves. A delegate from the Popular Council stated that the goal is clear: "It is a neighborhood unit to collectively transform the community, which is the objective sought by this popular movement."
According to a neighbor interviewed by Canal Caribe, food production has been directed towards families in vulnerable situations: "Here in the community, we have had several food productions that we have helped vulnerable mothers with."
The movement also mobilizes young people through the Community Youth Network, which organized around 15 neighborhood collectives, as well as sporting events, baseball games, soccer matches, and overnight camping during the summer.
However, the context in which this initiative arises reveals its true motivations. The CDR, founded in 1960 as the regime's surveillance arm, acknowledged in April 2025 a serious "deficit of cadres" due to the aging of its members and the disinterest of new generations.
The national coordinator of the CDR, Gerardo Hernández, called to "revitalize" the organization in light of the evident decline in its mobilization capabilities, with none of the previous attempts yielding lasting results.
Analysts and independent media interpret "My Neighborhood for the Homeland" as a "reinforced CDR" with a new name, designed to regain community control where traditional structures have lost influence, amidst an economic crisis projected to result in a GDP contraction of up to 7.2% in 2026.
The movement is projected across more than 12,000 constituencies throughout the country and was formally presented on May 8, 2026, at the National Capitol in Havana. The Council of State reevaluated its implementation this August, with contributions from governors, municipal presidents, and political organizations, seeking ways to strengthen it in each territory.
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