An elderly Cuban woman named Zoila survives in extreme poverty on the outskirts of Sancti Spíritus, alone, without regular food, and in a home that threatens to collapse on her, as reported on Facebook by activist Yureibys Torresilla.
The photos accompanying the post show an elderly woman of slender build, surrounded by walls made of wood that are rotting from humidity, clothes scattered on the floor, and almost nonexistent lighting.
Other images reveal the exterior of the house, as bleak as the interior, with a roof made of rusty zinc sheets missing sections and hanging electrical wires, which the author of the post describes as "four boards and a fibro roof."
Zoila, who has mental health issues, cooks outdoors over firewood, using blackened pots and a blue plastic box as an improvised table.
"He goes entire days without food, only what some neighbors are able to provide him, because this is bad for everyone," wrote the activist, who was alerted by local residents and personally went to the house.
Torresilla, founder of the solidarity project "Hermanos de la Calle," reported that no organization has visited the area despite the fact that the situation has been known for a long time: "It is not possible that, given the good judgment the local residents have about Zoila, no relevant sector has come to the place."
On Thursday, he and a private entrepreneur brought her two meals, but the woman was not there; she had gone out wandering the streets. "Another Cuban woman wandering around, and no one sees anything," lamented the activist.
He warns that the arrival of winter turns the situation into an emergency: "If he doesn't leave that place, he will simply die of cold."
The abandonment crisis affecting many elderly individuals has worsened in Cuba. The loss of purchasing power, the scarcity of food and medicines, and the emigration of family members have left many retirees in vulnerable situations.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights documented that nine out of ten seniors over 61 years old skip at least one meal a day and that 44% of the homeless population is over 70 years old.
The minimum pensions, raised to 4,000 Cuban pesos per month, amount to just slightly over four dollars at the informal exchange rate, a sum that is insufficient to cover food and medicine.
The provincial government of Sancti Spíritus announced the creation of seven community food homes for vulnerable individuals, although none have opened their doors or have confirmed physical construction.
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