Jenifer Brito Bernal is a true 19-year-old girl proud to have been the youngest delegate from Las Tunas to the 11th Congress of the Cuban Women Federation (FMC).
She has the same glow as any girl of her dreams who dreams that life will come closer to the expectations that surround her. She considers herself authentic, and futuristic and believes, from simplicity, that a good deed can change the course of events for many people and that a pair of hands can make the future brighter.
Jenifer perceives the world as a tangible piece that has not yet been fully discovered, but she hopes that - in her case - it will be a source of good intentions. She tells me that she enjoys dancing, and music and has developed a passion for drawing, which she intends to defend.
Like the other girls, she has the illusions of her early youth, sketches of stories she draws from the lyrics of songs in English, worries..., but she also carries different expectations on the same shoes, ones that she has colored with the faces of her neighbors, her fellow students, strangers... and with the help of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC in Spanish).
Those who know her say that before the age of 14, she was already walking steadily in the activities of her FMC block in the municipality of Colombia. Without a hint of shyness, she went from house to house, then to public spaces, and her aim has always been the same: to help.
There, in her homeland, she learned that women's action is about unity, about intervening in the neighborhood to find solutions, and to that end she can guide a family with special needs, help to find a job or a summer course, or facilitate a procedure. "The premise is simple: together we are always stronger," she says.
"First I started doing activities in various communities, and at the age of 14, I started working directly in the organization. She says that it was a big responsibility for a teenager, but that work has opened her horizons and she is one of those who likes to set goals and feel that she is moving forward.
Of course, her community drives her efforts. Mainly because her "micro-world" is a range of individualities and the FMC has taught her not to judge, to reach out, and to stand up for empowerment, a word she has known for a long time.
"The news that I was chosen to go to Congress was received with surprise and satisfaction. It was very shocking, both for me and for the people around my performance, who are the cause for which I defend the work of the Federation as something very much my own, and to whom I have, above all, a commitment.
"In my block, they were very proud and organized an activity to celebrate it as a family. I am grateful to the people at my base because they have supported me in the steps I have taken, and make me feel good with every goal I have set."
She tells me that her grandfather was the person who inspired her to raise her wings and flap them high. She owes what she is today to him, because of the load of good values, because of the sermons that in time taught her the need to advocate for others, to think of everyone, to look at herself in any mirror, to wear different shoes, no matter if they are higher or lower.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SORORITY, ABOUT THE FUTURE...
The FMC, Vilma's footprints, are not the only goals that move her. In her medical science uniform, she also defends the will to serve in what she considers "the most human of all professions."
"I am so happy to be studying for a degree in clinical bioanalysis. I chose this discipline because of its importance in disease diagnosis and the studies carried out on their causes."
The COVID-19 pandemic, that monster, helped to channel her vocation to such an extent that today she feels that her stage is vital to preserve life.
Jeny, as her friends know her, does not believe she deserves an interview. She has only done what she is supposed to do, to be the voice of other women who do not want to speak out because life has taken them harder because they have not found the best path. After all, an absurd marriage has broken their will because they do not know that they do matter...
"To be a federation is to belong to a family, you have to see it that way. What motivates me about this organization is precisely the familiarity I have found in it, that with every action that is carried out; we have an objective: to achieve the unity of the people and their preparation to move forward. Within it, women together, to be one."
"You have to see the satisfaction you feel when you know that you are helping and you can protect, change someone's reality. These are difficult times and they fall hardest on women because we are the ones who carry the weight of the food on the table, the ones who invent and deal with many needs at the same time. So we need a very united front."
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Jeny claims to be just another girl. She lives with her maternal grandparents and her partner. She often likes to set herself goals, which include growing as a member of the federation and in her profession. She wants to see results in both, especially the impact of her work on the girls and young women who are growing up in her organization.
"I think the young Cuban woman is determined, talkative, outgoing, and, above all, very cheerful. I identify with these qualities because I like to see myself in front of crowds presenting my ideas, having fun with people close to me, and meeting new ones. I want my drawings to carry a message that everyone can immediately notice, and I want my dancing to be full of feelings. I would like the FMC to never lose its joy.
