Amid the severe widespread crisis on the island, China has donated bowls, thermoses, and other containers to 116 care centers in Las Tunas that provide food to 3,500 people daily. The local publication, Periódico 26, reported that the 116 units of the Family Assistance System (SAF) in the eight municipalities of the province received modules with utensils for cooking and food storage.
The aid "includes thermal and plastic buckets, saucepans, jugs, plates, soup bowls, and other supplies aimed at improving the quality of service," stated Roger Luis Nieves Fournier, Communication and Marketing Specialist of the Provincial Business Commerce Group, as cited by the newspaper.
Nieves Fournier mentioned that the utensils are durable as some equipment, such as the thermal buckets, are made of stainless steel and nickel-plated. The donation also included bowls for the 3,500 beneficiaries—elderly, disabled, and other individuals in extreme poverty or without close family—who daily collect their food from these SAF centers.
China has been donating these items to SAF centers in various Cuban provinces amidst the severe shortages and precarious conditions affecting both the beneficiaries and the scarcely supported governmental institutions. In April, a similar donation benefited care centers in Bauta, Sancti Spíritus, and Santa Cruz del Sur.
In 2021, following the approval of the so-called Tarea Ordenamiento by the Cuban regime, the prices of the menu provided by the government to the elderly and needy through the SAF rose from a maximum of 1 Cuban peso to 13 pesos. That year, 77,661 people were registered to join the SAF, including 36,298 retirees, 6,251 people with disabilities, and 12,773 under social assistance.
While the regime argued that the elderly could afford the new prices with their pensions, several images of the menu posted on social media outraged Cubans, as it contained only rice, peas, and sweet potatoes, without any meat. "This is worth pennies. We demand they change the price of this food. The elderly do not deserve this prison-like diet at such an abusive price," expressed an internet user on Facebook at the time.
In March of that same year, the regime acknowledged the "critical conditions of the so-called Family Assistance System (SAF) units in the capital," a situation caused, according to them, by "the lack of public service vocation among administrators and the diversion of resources."
FAQs about China's Donations to Cuban Care Centers
Here are some frequently asked questions about China's recent donations to care centers in Cuba, along with their answers.
What items did China donate to the care centers in Las Tunas?
China donated bowls, thermoses, thermal and plastic buckets, saucepans, jugs, plates, soup bowls, and other utensils aimed at improving the quality of service in the care centers.
How many people benefit daily from these donations in Las Tunas?
The donations benefit 3,500 people daily in the 116 care centers across Las Tunas.
What were the criticisms regarding the SAF menu prices after the Tarea Ordenamiento?
The criticisms were about the drastic increase in menu prices from 1 Cuban peso to 13 pesos and the poor quality of the food, which included only rice, peas, and sweet potatoes without any meat.