Cases like ours exist all over Cuba because of bad management, corruption and the system that impoverishes all of us

Rafaela Pedroso Alvarez

To: La Oficina de Atención a la Población del Poder Popular Provincial (Population’s Attention Bureau of the provincial People’s Power)

From: Rafaela Pedroso Alvarez, Address: “El Marabú, San Juan y Martínez. Pinar del Río.

Subject: Housing problem

I am addressing you with the full right given to me by the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba (art. 63)  by submitting complaints to the relevant authorities and expecting  to receive an answer in an adequate time limit.

The problem consists that I am a 69 year-old woman and since 2002 my house is in very bad shape because it was damaged by the “Lili” and “Isidoro” hurricanes which destroyed the municipality and parts of the province. Also, we are a very low-income family and we have never been able to repair our house on our own. I was one of the first cases accounted for, in the People’s Power list for a State subsidy and 14 years later my problem remains unsolved. My mother died with the hope to see the house finished.

Complaint delivered and received by the People’s Power

We live in subhuman conditions, the house is in very bad shape and I presently live in a container (a type of wooden crate) that was built with b our own efforts. I am very worried by my situation and  I have addressed all the appropriate institutions and the authorities have ignored my situation, stating that I have to continue waiting because the resources coming into the province are insufficient.

You should know it is preposterous that a Cuban like myself, who for more than 40 years worked for the Cuban State for a salary that was never enough for anything, today at 69 is living under such conditions. Also, we are convinced that the main cause that cases such as ours exist all over Cuba is bad management, corruption, the system which impoverishes us and the lack of opportunities the entire people suffer. We believe the suffering by many people like us is unfair.

Let us hope our case is solved as soon as possible.

By Yusniel Pupo Carralero,  Comité de Campesinos Libres (Free Peasants’ Committee) and Yordan Pupo Carralero, CID and Defensores del Pueblo (People’s Defenders) activist.