Cuban mothers have decided not to send their children to school after spending much of the night awake due to power outages. Members of the Facebook group "Madres cubanas por un mundo mejor" expressed their outrage at seeing their children lying in bed, drenched in sweat and bitten by mosquitoes.
In Havana, where there was a nighttime power outage on Sunday, Cuban women began posting during the blackout, announcing that on Monday they wouldn't wake their children because they barely got any rest. "Tomorrow my child has school but is still awake, where is he going to go tomorrow?" said a housewife in the early hours.
"My girls tell me they won't go to school tomorrow because they haven't slept at all," added another woman.
A resident of Central Havana, mother of a girl, noted that because of the blackout, she goes to bed late and can't rest the next morning due to another scheduled outage from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. "Mine won't go; how can she go if she can't sleep and get the necessary rest? It's already past 1 AM and nothing," she protested.
"My son, who couldn't sleep, definitely won't go to school because a brain that doesn't rest is useless," assured a nurse.
"Exactly, how are those innocent kids going to focus in class when they're sleepy from nights and mornings of blackouts?" another mother pointed out.
"I won't take her if there's no power at night. I have power now, but with everything prepared because they're cutting it in the early morning, so if there's no power, she won't go!" asserted a neighbor from Vedado.
"When there's a blackout in Boyeros, I don't send mine, and when the teacher asks, I straightforwardly tell her if they couldn't sleep all night because of the blackout, they won't go to school, just like that," recounted another mother.
"Calm down, women, we're all in the same boat and nothing will be solved. Simply, let's not take the kids to school," urged a group member.
"As long as they keep cutting power at night and early morning, mine won't go," reiterated another.
This worsening energy crisis comes at a time when the school year is nearing its end, and children need to prepare for their final exams. "And they want to give them tests, and preschool starts diagnostic tomorrow, with sleep, heat, and a bad night. They should do the same as in Villa Clara," wrote an accountant.
A pedagogue reminded that in the interior of the country, they've been suffering from early morning blackouts for weeks. "In the provinces, kids don't go to school. There are power cuts for up to 17 and 20 hours a day, and for every early morning blackout, even if it's three hours, the moms don't send them," she assured.
"This is too much already. If we keep putting up with it, it's useless. They don't care about us at all. They have power in their homes; we don't. If our kids can't rest because of a blackout, no school," emphasized another mother.
Amid blackouts lasting up to 15 hours straight and intense heat, Cubans have to sleep on porches, sidewalks, and even the roofs of their houses. In Santiago de Cuba, many people, including mothers with their children, sleep in the open, lying on walls adjacent to the sidewalks.
The inhumane blackouts, with power cuts lasting up to 20 hours a day in some localities, are ruining the health of many Cubans, who vent their frustrations on social media and ask the regime: "How long will this psychological torture go on?"
"Who explains to a child that they can't watch TV, that after sleeping poorly and enduring 16 hours (or more) of blackout, they must wake up to another blackout to go to school?" wrote activist Guelmi Abdul on Facebook.
Guelmi referred to the situation of those living in high-rise buildings who must climb 10 floors since the elevators aren't working, "and also not having water because the pump depends on electricity."
"Who cares about the people's pain? What do they intend? For us to die of heart attacks and strokes, driven crazier than we already are and without medicine? How long will this psychological torture of the Cuban people last?" she expressed.
Impact of Blackouts on Cuban Families
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the current situation of power outages in Cuba and their impact on families and education.
Why are Cuban mothers not sending their children to school?
Cuban mothers are not sending their children to school due to the frequent night-time blackouts, which make it impossible for their children to get adequate sleep and rest.
How long do these blackouts usually last?
In some localities, blackouts can last up to 20 hours a day, severely affecting the daily lives of Cuban families.
How are the blackouts affecting children's education?
The blackouts make it difficult for children to concentrate in school due to lack of sleep and rest, impacting their ability to prepare for exams and attend classes regularly.