Poverty

Describing poverty is both simple and complex.

For some, poverty is a state of mind; for others, it is the reality of financial instability.

People like me—and many others—had no idea what poverty was like until they grew older.

I grew up in a small town that felt more like the countryside, in Cuba—a communist island under a dictatorship. According to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) 8th Report on the State of Social Rights, Cuba's extreme poverty rate stood at 89% in 2025.

    If I was poor, then so was everyone else. My house was in very bad condition, but my father said it was only temporary.

My father bought a property with a foundation already laid. He promised to build us a home, so I didn’t think we were poor: we had a foundation and a doorbell that sounded like one in a rich person's house, like the ones we saw on television. It was hard for me to understand poverty. My father also had many ways of making it seem fun.

I didn't know there was no food or money because my family, especially my father, made it seem normal. My mother was more direct about it. My father was naturally funny. I never understood why he was always joking and making us laugh. It was a strategy he used to make us laugh—and to help himself forget about everything, as well.

It wasn’t until my father died, when I was around 24, that I realized we were poor.

Then I came to the United States. Then I realized the real concept of poverty.

Now, more than ever, I   ‍try never to see myself in that state of mind or financial instability.

I find ways to live comfortably and not let poverty get close to me.

Poverty Definition: A severe condition where a person lacks the basic physical necessities required for survival, such as clean water, food, shelter, clothing, and basic healthcare. 

Mory Carballo

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