A Cuban content creator became the focus of a heartfelt gesture that has moved social media: he stopped in the middle of the road a senior man who was taking his grandsons to school on a bicycle and gave him one thousand Cuban pesos as a gift from his followers.
The author of the video described the emotion he felt during the encounter: "It touched me to see the man with his grandson and the other boy because I also grew up with my grandparents, and whenever I see a grandparent with their grandchildren, it always fills my heart."
The clip, published by the page of Facebook "Really Cuban," has garnered over 357,000 views.
In it, the young man approaches the grandfather kindly and explains his purpose: "I am a boy who, I don’t know if you’ve heard in town, is helping people through assistance I receive from social media. I was looking for some individuals to help, and I saw you passing by with the kids and wanted to do something nice for you."
The story didn't end there. The next day, the young man's brother returned to the grandfather's house with a basket of groceries - tomato puree, ground beef, ham, beans, rice - and hygiene items like soaps and detergent.
In addition, he increased the financial assistance with an additional 5,000 pesos for the family.
"I asked for his consent to speak to him and post it on social media, because the people who watch my videos help me so that I can help others. And here I came to deliver this assistance," he explained.
The reaction from internet users was mostly positive, although there were some critical voices. Some pointed out that a thousand pesos is a very small amount considering the low value of the Cuban peso.
"It's almost ridiculous, come on. You looked bad, Bro, a gesture of advertising should come from the heart, at least 5,000, which would help two kids there," wrote a user.
Others defended the gesture with more empathetic arguments: “Only God knows if those children had anything to eat today,” one said. “If we all donated $1000, it would be different. Many blessings to that boy who helps with what he can,” expressed another.
A commentator also warned about the risks of stopping people in deserted areas: "Next time, try not to stop him on such an empty road, because everyone is already afraid due to constant attacks."
The economic crisis the country is facing explains why the image of the grandfather on a bicycle and the gesture of help towards him resonated so strongly.
The inflation has devalued the national currency to the point that 1,000 pesos is worth less than 1.50 dollars at the informal exchange rate, while the official average salary is less than 12 dollars per month.
The minimum pension is 4,000 pesos per month starting in September, which amounts to only between seven and ten dollars at the informal exchange rate, and covers just a fraction of the basic food basket, estimated to be between 12,000 and 30,000 pesos per person.
This type of initiative is part of a growing trend among Cuban content creators who convert donations from their followers into direct assistance for vulnerable individuals, ranging from food supplies to housing, in light of the State's inability to ensure the basic well-being of its most disadvantaged population.
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