CUBA: Salesian sisters fix electricity issues in 4 communities thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions
Project addresses severe energy crisis
(MissionNewswire) Salesian sisters in Cuba* were able to install a photovoltaic solar power system and repair energy infrastructure in the communities they serve thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. This project addressed the severe energy crisis and structural decay across four targeted Salesian communities.
The project directly supported vulnerable communities in areas heavily disrupted by structural and economic challenges. Many of the people impacted were women residents. The changes significantly improved their daily living conditions, work environments and pastoral capabilities.
Youth in the Guanabacoa community were also impacted, including preschool children and young adults participating in regional social programs. In addition, the project directly powers the Green Medicine project in Manzanillo, where local women and volunteer doctors manufacture and donate natural medical remedies to the community.
Sister Lucidania Gomez noted, “Here in Guanabacoa, the land is mostly flat and the climate is very tropical. Life is very difficult for our neighbors right now. We are living through a very deep and long economic crisis. There is simply a lack of resources and materials everywhere you look. It has brought commerce to a standstill, and the state just doesn’t have what it needs to maintain the infrastructure. It hurts to see the heavy cross our working-class families carry just to get through each day.”
She added, “The most devastating struggle we face is the lack of electricity. The national grid has broken down, and we endure blackouts that can last up to 23 hours a day. It changes everything. Without power, we lose access to water, and whatever little food people have spoils. It places an exhausting, heartbreaking burden on the mothers and grandmothers, who are the primary caregivers just trying to sustain their homes. For us sisters, it severely hampers our ability to care for the vulnerable youth and the elderly who need us so much, especially now when the daily stress is causing so many families to fall apart.”
The new energy systems and the repairs that were made across the Salesian communities have given them back the electricity they need to live and work effectively.
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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)
*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
