Lien Estrada, a regular volunteer in aid initiatives, joined a Christmas meal organized for homeless people at Havana's San Egidio Macroecumenical Center. Driven by mental health benefits, Estrada helped serve food and listened to personal stories. The experience left her pondering faith and loss amid Cuba's hardships.
In her personal diary published on Havana Times, Lien Estrada describes how she spent Christmas on December 25 volunteering at a solidarity event. A sister in the faith invited her to help with a meal for homeless people at the San Egidio Macroecumenical Center on Aricochea Street, near Havana's sports complex.
Estrada explains that her main motivation is not just altruistic but therapeutic: she suffers from depressive tendencies inherited from her mother's side, and charitable acts generate dopamine and serotonin to counter sadness. "It's like the vitamins my aunt gives me every morning with breakfast," she writes, taking it seriously for mental health reasons.
Upon arrival, she found about twenty people seated on benches and chairs. She greeted each with a handshake and "Merry Christmas," smiling respectfully. In the kitchen, she helped serve plastic plates of congri, meat, and root vegetables while Christmas songs played after power returned. Then, she washed a large pile of dishes, tiring herself out.
A poignant moment came when a disheveled young man, likely an alcoholic, told her he had lost everything. Estrada listened attentively, responding with a message of faith: "we must maintain faith above all, despite everything." Yet, she felt ashamed for not knowing what else to say, acknowledging her own losses in Cuban life.
After the meal, a cultural program followed, which Estrada appreciated, recalling Christ's words: "Man does not live by bread alone." She left exhausted before the bishop's speech, hampered by virus aftereffects causing arm pain. She walked home, resting like an elderly woman, and shared the experience with her mother and aunt, who were glad, though the question lingers: what to say to someone who has lost everything?
This personal reflection highlights everyday struggles in Cuba, where food is an odyssey and community support is essential.