Gloria Lozano, an elderly Cuban woman who devoted her life to serving the revolutionary state, including working in Fidel Castro's personal security detail, now finds herself unable to afford proper meals.
Her story, captured in a video shared on Facebook by activist Silverio Portal, has garnered over 306,000 views and stands as a poignant symbol of the neglect faced by senior citizens on the island.
Lozano, a retired English teacher and translator, recounts in the video that she worked "indefinitely" in the general direction of personal security for the commander. Reflecting on those times, she asserts, "Yes, it was wonderful." The stark contrast with her current situation is heartbreaking.
In the footage, Portal notes Lozano's physical condition with evident concern: "You've gotten so thin, Gloria. So thin. And your feet are swollen. A personality like you."
The elderly woman, noticeably frail and with swollen feet, sums up her predicament in a single sentence: "I don't eat well. Imagine, the system is failing."
Portal offers her the only 100 Cuban pesos he has, saying, "I'll give you these 100 pesos, it's all I have, but it's something." She replies without hesitation, "Any money is welcome to me."
Despite her hardships, Gloria maintains a surprisingly positive outlook: "Life has made me very happy," she declares. She mentions being alive and having friends both in Cuba and abroad who inquire about her life alongside the commander.
Widespread Hunger Among Cuba's Elderly
Gloria's plight is not unique. A survey by the Food Monitor Program and Cuido60, released in May 2026, revealed that 33.9% of Cuban households reported at least one person went to bed hungry in the past 30 days, marking a deterioration of 9.3 percentage points since 2024.
Seniors are the hardest hit. Among those over 60, 55.6% reported losing total access to food, 53% spend all their income on food, and 80.2% struggle to obtain essential medications.
The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights indicates that eight out of ten people over 61 frequently skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Economic Hardship and Its Impact
The official minimum pension is 4,000 Cuban pesos per month—equivalent to seven to ten dollars on the informal exchange market—while the basic food basket in Havana costs around 12,000 pesos per person, three times that minimum income.
The food crisis has deep structural causes. Cuba imports between 70% and 80% of its consumption, and domestic production has declined in essential items like rice, beans, pork, and milk. In June, government officials conceded that the rationed food basket failed to provide essential products like oil, chicken, and yogurt.
Silverio Portal, who has been recording and sharing these street testimonies for years, is a former Cuban political prisoner recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience in 2019. He was sentenced to four years in 2016 and released in December 2020.
Gloria Lozano's testimony—a woman who served the revolutionary state for decades and now struggles to eat properly—harshly illustrates what the statistics confirm: the Cuban regime has abandoned those who once supported it the most.
Understanding Cuba's Current Food Crisis
What percentage of Cuban households experience hunger?
As of May 2026, 33.9% of Cuban households reported at least one person going to bed hungry in the previous 30 days.
How does the food crisis affect Cuban seniors?
Among Cubans over 60, 55.6% have lost total access to food, 53% spend all their income on food, and 80.2% face challenges in obtaining essential medications.
What is the official minimum pension in Cuba?
The official minimum pension in Cuba is 4,000 Cuban pesos per month, which equates to approximately seven to ten dollars on the informal exchange market.