Elderly Woman's Desperate Plea for Food on Havana's Bustling San Rafael Boulevard

In a heart-wrenching scene, an elderly woman walked through San Rafael Boulevard, one of Havana's busiest pedestrian streets, desperately calling out for food assistance.

The incident was captured in a brief 15-second video and shared on Facebook by Vladimir Turró Páez, an independent journalist with CubaNet. Despite his attempts to interview her and share her story, the woman refused to speak further.

"The plight of Cubans is truly saddening. This lady walks through San Rafael Boulevard shouting for help to eat. I wanted to share her story, but she declined," Turró Páez wrote alongside the video.

In the short clip, her voice echoes: "Help to eat."

Visible Signs of a Humanitarian Crisis

San Rafael Boulevard spans about five blocks in Centro Habana, lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. The sight of an elderly woman publicly pleading for food highlights the severe humanitarian crisis gripping the Cuban capital.

Unfortunately, her situation is not unique. Recent weeks have seen similar occurrences: an elderly woman scavenging discarded sweet potatoes because she couldn't afford the 130 pesos per pound at informal markets; a 92-year-old woman seeking spare change to afford lunch at a social dining hall; a senior man lying on a porch in the Mantilla neighborhood for five days, surviving thanks to the kindness of neighbors and churches; and a 91-year-old man filmed begging in Santiago de Cuba.

The Staggering Reality of Elderly in Cuba

Statistics confirm the grim reality these images portray. A report from Food Monitor Program and Cuido60 revealed that over 54% of elderly adults had not received their pensions in the previous six months, and 79% of those over 70 couldn't manage three meals daily.

A staggering 99% of surveyed retirees stated their pensions were insufficient to cover food, housing, and medication simultaneously.

In Cuba, the minimum pension ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 Cuban pesos monthly, equivalent to roughly four to ten dollars on the informal market. Meanwhile, the basic food basket is estimated to cost between 12,000 and 30,000 pesos per person each month.

Government Acknowledgement and Insufficient Aid

By the end of August, the regime admitted that 883,446 individuals were in vulnerable conditions, an increase of nearly 7,000 since April. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced a meager monthly provision for this group, including five pounds of rice, one pound of sugar, and one pound of grains—amounts deemed grossly inadequate by independent organizations.

This crisis is exacerbated by the collapse of the ration book system. AFP agency reports from Havana found many state stores either shuttered, emptied, or converted to neighborhood markets, leaving residents without access to subsidized goods.

Cuba holds the highest percentage of elderly people in Latin America: 25.7% of its population is over 60, with 83.6% dependent on a pension that has lost nearly all purchasing power under decades of regime economic management.

In September 2025, El País reported on a 70-year-old woman begging alongside her granddaughter on the same San Rafael Boulevard, seeking funds for "just a little rice and black beans." She required nearly $100 monthly for a decent diet, equivalent to about 20 minimum wages or two years of accumulated pensions.