A heartbreaking account of three siblings living in extreme poverty in Holguín was captured on Instagram by content creator Melissa, highlighting the often-overlooked plight of children in Cuba. Her video serves as a harrowing testimony to the struggles faced by these young lives.
The children, aged 13, nine, and seven, reside with their mother in a settlement situated behind Loma de la Cruz, an area lacking essential services and communication facilities.
"This neighborhood is located behind Loma de la Cruz, deep in the woods as we Cubans say. They don't even have an address," the video’s creator detailed.
The family's home is primarily constructed from cardboard. They live without electricity, a fact starkly confirmed by one child’s simple statement: "There's never any power. The mosquitoes."
The eldest child walks over two kilometers daily to gather pumpkins to feed his siblings. When asked about their meals, the response is as succinct as it is shocking: "Not much. Sometimes coconut, mango, and that. Sometimes nothing at all."
Their mother has lamented the lack of any government assistance or pension.
Melissa has acted as a conduit to deliver donated funds from abroad, encouraging those willing to help to contact her directly, given the family’s complete lack of communication tools.
This situation is not unique in Holguín. In April, a solidarity campaign raised over three million pesos for two siblings who collected firewood for cooking. In May, another drive amassed more than 1,137,000 pesos for a pair of brothers living in extreme poverty in the Paraíso neighborhood. The Cuban diaspora and social media activists have become the main—and nearly sole—means of support in the face of governmental inaction.
The statistics behind these personal stories are equally stark.
A 2024 UNICEF report states that 9% of Cuban children under five endure severe food poverty, consuming food from two or fewer of the eight essential food groups. Data from 2026 reveals that 48.5% of Cuban students aged six to 11 do not receive school meals or snacks, and 33.9% of households reported a member going to bed hungry in the past 30 days.
In 2025, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights estimated that 89% of the Cuban population lives in extreme poverty, a stark contrast to the official narrative.
While these three siblings struggle to survive in the rural outskirts of Holguín, Miguel Díaz-Canel recently referred to Cuban children as "little giants, guardians of the nation's future," promising that the government would look after their well-being "even in the toughest times," blaming shortages on the U.S. embargo.
The images of the nameless neighborhood behind Loma de la Cruz speak volumes in response to those words.
Key Questions About Poverty in Holguín and Cuban Children's Welfare
What is the current state of child poverty in Cuba?
According to a 2024 report by UNICEF, 9% of Cuban children under five suffer from severe food poverty, consuming food from two or fewer essential food groups.
How are Cuban families dealing with poverty in Holguín?
Families in Holguín, like the one highlighted, rely heavily on support from the diaspora and social media activists due to the lack of governmental assistance and basic services.
What role does the Cuban government play in addressing child poverty?
Though the government claims to prioritize child welfare, blaming shortages on external factors like the U.S. embargo, many families report an absence of state support.