SOMOS CUBA:

“We Are Cuba:” Poverty & Infrastructure Failures

Blighted neighborhoods in Old Havana lie just a few blocks away from the pristine Capitol building. Grand, historic homes, many of which were converted into individual apartments decades ago, are now literally falling apart. While the units are privately owned by Cuban residents, there are no homeowners’ associations or state-sponsored agencies to handle building maintenance or infrastructure improvements. Few residents can pay for repairs on their own when they already struggle with meager wages, subsidized and rationed food supplies, and nation-wide shortages for most household items.

This particular doorway leads to several apartment units surrounded by a shared courtyard with rusting metal staircases, crumbling concrete walls, broken windows, and leaking water pipes. A young boy stands nearby, observing tourists who take photos as neighborhood children play with a deflated, peeling basketball, repurposed as a soccer ball. His keen eyes scan the tourists for signs of cash, candy, or gum, and he’s quick to ask for any he spots.