Antiguan Students in Cuba Appeal for Assistance Amid Deepening Crisis
Antiguan and Barbudan students studying in Cuba say worsening economic conditions and prolonged power outages are making daily life increasingly difficult, prompting calls for financial assistance as the island faces a deepening crisis.
About 77 students from Antigua and Barbuda are currently studying in Cuba, many of them on limited stipends, and say soaring prices for food, transportation and housing have made it harder to meet basic needs.
One medical student described the experience as “pretty rough,” saying uncertainty about the situation in Cuba has added to the stress.
“Personally, the experience has been pretty rough. It’s been really rough,” the student said. “Nobody’s telling us what’s happening— all we’re seeing is videos and articles come out saying what Trump said he’s going to do. We don’t know what’s going on.”
Students say prices for essential goods have surged dramatically. Transportation that once cost about 100 Cuban pesos now ranges between 800 and 1,000 pesos, while rent that previously ranged from $40 to $100 per month has climbed to between $200 and $400.
Food prices have also increased sharply. Eggs that once cost 1,500 pesos now sell for about 3,000 pesos, while cooking oil has risen from roughly 900 pesos to 1,300 pesos. Some students say the increases have been several times higher than previous prices.
The situation has been compounded by fuel shortages that have disrupted public transportation across the country.
Despite the challenges, many students say they are determined to continue their studies, particularly those nearing completion of their degrees. Others say leaving now would mean abandoning years of work.
Cuban Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda Sergio Gonzalez said he has been impressed by the resilience of Antiguan students studying on the island and noted that many continue to perform well academically.
“I am glad that they decide to continue there, despite the difficulties,” Gonzalez said, adding that Antiguan and Barbudan students have often ranked among the best in their classrooms.
The Antigua and Barbuda government has indicated it is monitoring the situation through regional discussions within CARICOM and has safety protocols and support systems in place should conditions deteriorate further.
For now, the students say they are relying on each other for support while continuing their studies under difficult circumstances, hoping their sacrifices will eventually lead to a better future.
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I cannot believe that our reactionary government are still dragging their feet and dilly-dallying on this ongoing situation with our students still struggling in Cuba.
I can’t remember which one of the ABLP politicians had mentioned about monitoring the situation, but it’s blatantly obvious with Trump’s US sanctions in the region, that things are not going to get better anytime soon.
Bring our people back now! Just get an LIAT jet to bring the 70-odd students home…
ABLP the the most “reactionary” government in living memory.
We need the SOUL OF OUR COUNTRY back!!!
As a Cuban student I can say they are very resilient. All they need is support and if necessary a coordinated evacuation if the situation gets dangerous.
@ Brix….WTF!!!
Where are the parents of these students???
I don’t give a shit….if one of my kids were in Cuba and wanted to come home you bet your a$$ that my child is coming home. I don’t care how much it costs, if I have to use my savings, borrow from family or friends, or take out a loan.
AND…no where in this story did I read that any student wants to return home, unless the writer just did not include it. They just want more $ to deal with the increase in prices. Again…where are the parents? If your child needs more money then for Christsake send them more money. If you as a parent want your child out of Cuba, then here’s what you do…..Get your child out of Cuba.
What friggin soul of the country back are you talking about? What we need is to “take politics out of everything” back again.
Seriously, give it a break. In Antigua you are either RED OR BLUE, and I really doubt that your political comments are going to sway anyone to switch sides unless they have no backbone and all they were offered something for switching.
The voices of the students cannot be ignored as many are seemingly at breaking point. No one really knows how long this “pressure” situation will last and dispite the strength and resilience shown by the students, it is clear that it is becoming very hard to cope and deal with the intolerable situation that currently exists. I hope that we can quickly move beyond the “wait and see” situation and do something.
@Time for a break ……the whole purpose of a scholarship is to fund those who cant afford to pay for schooling on their own, while some have parents are fully capable of helping their child others have parents who are unemployed, not in their life and dead, so as easy as it may seem for you to say send for you child, that is not an option for so much people. And yes there are students who would like to leave but, then what, we just spent however much years for NOTHING? i am sure if there was an option given to us to transfer our years to another school and not have to start over, it would be done …what will even happen if the situation gets worse, do we forfeit out years for nothing or we going to be able to pick up where we left off in another school, these are the answers we search for, yet we receive nothing
To my understanding, Some of them want to leave as a result of with the worsening conditions but are unsure of how to proceed since there’s no clear alternative plans.
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