Havana Neighborhood Bands Together to Care for Abandoned Baby After Police Refusal

For a span of two weeks, residents of the Atarés neighborhood in Havana took turns caring for an abandoned baby found on their streets, following the refusal of the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) to accept the child at two separate stations. This poignant story was shared publicly by Cuban historian and activist Aries M. Cañellas Cabrera, who resides in Madrid. He waited for the situation to be resolved before making it known.

A woman in the neighborhood discovered the newborn and made what seemed like the most logical choice: she attempted to hand the baby over to the police. However, their reaction left her stunned. "Another mother found him and did what seemed logical: take him to the police. But, as common sense doesn't apply to Cuban law enforcement, they told her... they couldn't take him!" Cañellas Cabrera wrote. The following day, accompanied by other neighbors, she tried once more at a different station, only to receive the same response.

Faced with institutional inaction, the community of Atarés responded in a way that Cañellas Cabrera described as remarkable: they collectively took the child in as their own.

The locals organized a schedule for looking after the baby, moving him from house to house, gathering a suitcase of clothes, and ensuring he received milk and yogurt on time. At least three nursing mothers visited daily to breastfeed him, saying, "So he grows strong like mine," according to the narrative.

Having lived outside Cuba for three years, Cañellas Cabrera notes that Atarés has changed significantly: "The streets where I grew up are very different now, and like much of Cuba, drug use and violence have increased dramatically." This makes the community's reaction to the abandoned baby particularly meaningful to him.

"The neighborhood remembered, thanks to this baby, that it could be, like in the 90s, the most dangerous yet safest place in all of Havana," the historian wrote, referring to a time when community solidarity networks acted as a collective safety net.

Meanwhile, some neighborhood mothers were on the lookout for the baby's biological mother, with a strong message: "If we find her, we’ll tie her up in Uncle Tom’s park. One can be a rogue, but not a bad mother."

After 15 days of community care, nurses from the Fernandina clinic took the child to a children's home in the 10 de Octubre municipality. "I'm told there was sadness that day, that the tough people of Atarés were downcast, but knowing it was for the best, they let him go," recounted Cañellas Cabrera.

Earlier in September, two fetuses were found among trash in Centro Habana, with no official statement from authorities. Earlier this year, twins were reportedly abandoned at the Camagüey Pediatric Hospital, where they remained under nursing staff care. As of 2023, Cuba had only 54 child assistance centers, caring for just over 400 children without familial support.

For Cañellas Cabrera, the story's significance extends beyond this isolated event: "By sharing this story today, I want it known that the regime hasn’t been able to destroy everything, that people in Cuba refuse to lose their humanity."