Dancing as a source of life for street children
One of the projects we have supported in Cuba is “Niños en la frontera” in the capital Havana, more precisely in the middle of the social hotspot district “La Lisa”. There, many children spend the majority of their lives roaming the streets without parental care, structure or other child-oriented activities.
We met the project manager Marina, who has been dedicated to the children of the neighborhood for over 30 years and gives them a second home. The little ones love the resolute power woman, although she can also be very strict. If you want to dance in her troupe, you have to attend school regularly and seriously, otherwise Marina will speak to your parents and tell them off. In return, Marina’s children receive professional dance lessons, a meal a day, are away from the streets and feel proud to be part of this community. Many of Marina’s students have made it into the professional world of Cuban dance!
Until a few years ago, the children and young people had several performances a month, some in Havana and some further afield – over 100 in total per year. Transportation and meals for the children have to be paid for such performances, and often a music group accompanies the little dancers.
At the moment, however, there is not even enough money for a single performance a month. Last year, they only had a total of three performances. Many children are therefore back on the streets or with their families, who have to live in terrible conditions. They are slowly losing their cheerfulness because their elixir of life, dancing and music, is gradually disappearing from their everyday lives.
The Caravan has supported the flagship project, which once helped an entire hotspot district to gain new prospects for life, with 2,000 euros. This enabled us to ensure that “Niños en la frontera” can continue to exist. We have financed transportation, food and musicians for a full year so that the group can take part in at least one dance event per month in and around Havana. These performances give everyone involved a new lease of life and enable them to share this positive energy with their entire neighborhood.
We are still in contact with Marina and her team and would be delighted to continue supporting this project in the future.
Our donation account:
caravan of humanity
Raiffeisenbank Güssing-Jennersdorf
IBAN: AT14 3302 7000 0002 3408, BIC: RLBBAT2E027
Purpose “Niños en la frontera”