Relevance: primary · Type: background
Confidence100%
Severe shortages of water, power and money combined with a U.S. energy blockade have deepened poverty and increased hunger across Cuba as severe blackouts persist.
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Confidence100%
People who previously had more resources are eliminating long-established routines as they adapt to worsening resource shortages.
Eduvirgen Zamora, cafeteria worker
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Confidence95%
"The Cuban woman likes to look beautiful — to do her hair, do her nails, do her feet — and wear perfume," said Eduvirgen Zamora.
Eduvirgen Zamora, cafeteria worker
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Confidence95%
"I don’t look how I would like to look," said Eduvirgen Zamora.
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Confidence95%
Melina Colás, a manicurist in Havana, recently got long braids for her birthday but found them difficult to maintain because of chronic water shortages.
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Confidence95%
Melina Colás previously wore her hair long and straightened but decided to cut it and wear it natural despite believing it did not suit her short stature and round face.
Melina Colás, manicurist
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Confidence90%
"Before, you could do whatever you wanted," said Melina Colás, referring to hairstyling when water was readily available.
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Confidence90%
Melina Colás uses a spray of water and vinegar to compensate for water shortages, which she said helps soften clients’ cuticles and prevent fungal infections when time between manicure appointments increases.
Melina Colás, manicurist
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Confidence80%
"Some cases are critical," said Melina Colás.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
Betty Ramírez Aldana, 50, a hairstylist, has noticed a decrease in her salon’s clients due to Cuba’s economic crisis and shrinking budgets.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
"It really came as a shock to me, because I’ve lost a lot of clients," said Betty Ramírez Aldana.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
"Normally by now I’d have five, six, eight clients. Look at the hour. And no one has showed up," said Betty Ramírez Aldana.
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Confidence95%
The salon where Betty Ramírez Aldana works spent three weeks without water because electricity powers pump stations on the island and severe outages are common.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
Betty Ramírez Aldana no longer provides certain hair straightening treatments and instead offers clients haircuts.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
"A lot of them have opted to embrace their natural curly hair," said Betty Ramírez Aldana.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
Betty Ramírez Aldana said more women are growing out their roots because of a lack of gasoline, limited public transportation, and tight budgets.
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Confidence90%
Some clients who can afford it call Betty Ramírez Aldana for home visits, where she often serves two or three people.
Betty Ramírez Aldana, hairstylist
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Confidence90%
"I don’t serve one, I serve two or three," said Betty Ramírez Aldana, referring to home visit clients.
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Confidence90%
Some Cubans are washing their hair only twice a month and allowing their clothes to remain dirty longer due to resource shortages.
Antonia Isalgués Barrién
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Confidence95%
Antonia Isalgués Barrién, 60, who works for a state-run company operating boats from eastern Havana to the city center, said she hangs her clothes outside every day after work because she has no water to wash them.
Antonia Isalgués Barrién
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Confidence90%
"It’s very hot here in Cuba; you sweat a lot," said Antonia Isalgués Barrién.
Antonia Isalgués Barrién
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Confidence90%
Antonia Isalgués Barrién said she used to wash her clothes nearly daily before water shortages.
Antonia Isalgués Barrién
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Confidence90%
Antonia Isalgués Barrién said passenger numbers on her boat service have increased due to gas station closures and limited public bus service.
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Confidence100%
Cuba went three months without fuel shipments until a Russian tanker brought 730,000 barrels of oil in late March.
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Confidence100%
The 730,000 barrels of oil from the Russian tanker are expected to last nine to ten days.
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Confidence95%
Iván de los Ángeles Arias, a boat pilot, often boards the boat for a five-minute ride across the Bay of Havana and reserves his car for emergency use.
Iván de los Ángeles Arias
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Confidence90%
"That’s the reality we’re forced to live," said Iván de los Ángeles Arias.
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