| Sector | Social development |
|---|---|
| Location | Cuba: Puerto Padre, Holguin Province |
| Amount | n.a. |
| Start Date | June 2008 |
| End Date | June 2010 |
| Sponsors | Curia Generalizia Agostiniana, Conferenza Episcopale Spagnola |
| Project status | Closed |
The island of Cuba cannot be considered as a “development” country. It has a social and economic model that certainly gives evidence of many positive aspects. The rate of those who have attended school is 99.99% and the percentage of investment by the government in the area of education is equal to 13% of its GDP. The rate of unemployment is the lowest and the phenomena of child exploitation, segregation and extreme poverty do not exist. In spite of this, several categories of people live in conditions of poverty so that an evident difficulty to accept a free and respectful discussion on cultural and religious questions persists.
Description
Puerto Padre is a small town in the Province of Holguin, one of the poorest areas of the country.
The Augustinian missionaries have returned to Puerto Padre in 2008 and immediately began to work with the youth and the elderly. After the first years, thanks to support form the Curia Generalizia Agostiniana, and to the collaboration with Caritas Havana, they have succeeded in consolidating their presence and in structuring better their social program.
Today, together with the Foundation Augustinians Across the World, the missionaries are developing a program centered on three activities:
- to provide free meals to the elderly poor;
- to construct and furnish a library and to furnish a place for education with computers;
- to develop a program of intercultural dialogue, especially among the youth, and involving also the schools and other local public institutions.