Imagine a twelve-year-old boy running barefoot for four kilometers before dawn, scaling towering palm trees with makeshift ropes to make a living, all without a bicycle to get to school. This is the reality for Dainer, a young boy residing in the rural settlement of Montaña, in the Bahía Honda municipality of Artemisa province. His story captured the hearts of many after being shared by Cuban content creator Yeison López on Instagram.
Yeison López, a 25-year-old who left Cuba at 15 and now lives in Asia, recently returned to his hometown to document the everyday lives of its residents. During a morning run, he encountered Dainer, who kept pace with him despite being barefoot. When asked about school, Dainer's simple yet heart-wrenching response was, "I could go by bike, but I don't have one. I wish I did."
Dainer's grandmother, who cares for him and his younger sister, expressed her pride on camera: "Daini, my grandson, is very good. He works with people and all. I always tell him he has to hustle."
Dainer is not a stranger to López's followers. Weeks prior, he featured in a viral video about palm tree climbers, which amassed 140,000 likes and over 3,000 comments. In the video, shot at five in the morning, Dainer appeared with Raidel, a 25-year-old who has been in the trade for a decade, climbing tall royal palms to harvest palmiche—fruit mainly used to feed pigs.
The job is perilous yet essential. "The most dangerous thing is if a rope snaps or the palm falls," Raidel warned in that video. A "horse" of palmiches—10 bunches—sells for about 1,500 Cuban pesos, roughly two dollars, which is relatively high in a country where state jobs pay between eight and ten dollars a month.
The official minimum wage in Cuba was set at 3,210 pesos—around $4.65—as of July 1, 2026, while economists estimate that an individual needs approximately 96,000 pesos monthly to meet basic needs.
López described Dainer as "a clear example of resilience and determination," noting that his intention was not to romanticize the harsh reality: "I'm not trying to glorify this lifestyle for children, just sharing the reality that many live through, and I think we should respect it rather than criticize without full understanding."
Dainer's case is part of a broader pattern across the island. The rise of child labor in Cuba has been documented by the Cuban Conflict Observatory, which recorded 71 complaints in 2025, while the government itself acknowledged that around 200,000 minors are in vulnerable situations.
Despite this, the Communist Youth Union publicly denied the existence of child labor in Cuba in June 2026, a statement that was widely condemned.
In response to Dainer's story, López issued a challenge to his community of over 600,000 followers: "If this video reaches 100,000 likes, I will personally buy him the bicycle this week. Let's make it happen, we can do it, I want to!"
Understanding Child Labor and Economic Challenges in Cuba
What challenges do children like Dainer face in Cuba?
Children like Dainer often confront economic hardships, lack of basic resources such as transportation for education, and are sometimes involved in laborious and dangerous jobs to support their families.
How prevalent is child labor in Cuba?
Child labor is a significant issue in Cuba, with the Cuban Conflict Observatory documenting numerous cases and the government admitting that many minors are in vulnerable conditions, despite official denials.
What does the minimum wage indicate about living conditions in Cuba?
The minimum wage in Cuba is set at a low rate, with many families struggling to meet essential needs, highlighting the economic difficulties faced by the population.