HAVANA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Cuban adolescent Leodelmis Brunet lives in a house for orphaned kids in the Havana district of Guanabo, where the 15-year-old feels secure and protected by educational assistants there.

Attending a nearby secondary school, he dreams of becoming a successful civil engineer in the future.

"I enjoy playing football, going to the beach, watching action movies, and listening to urban music," he said. "This is my home."

Thalia Yilian Lazo is among the other 13 kids who live here. An enthusiastic foreign language learner, she has been living in the house since six years old.

"We get up early in the morning to go to school, and when we come back, lunch and dinner are ready," she said. "People here are my family."

Thirty people now are working at the house, including educational assistants, cooks, social workers, and medical personnel.

Marylin Alderete, director of the house, told Xinhua that social inclusion of orphaned and abandoned kids is a guiding principle for her work team.

"I spend the most time here. This experience has helped me grow," added the 35-year-old mother of two sons.

According to the Cuban Ministry of Education (MINED), there are over 400 orphaned children across the country's 15 provinces and the Isle of Youth special municipality.

The island country has 54 houses for orphaned children, mostly in Havana and the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara and Holguin. These houses admit children aged 18 and under.

Beatriz Roque, director of special education at MINED, said that the Cuban government is committed to continuing to protect orphaned kids amid the intensification of the U.S. embargo on the island.

"We are not only focused on the educative and social inclusion but also in the development of principles and values among kids," she said. "We want them to actively participate in the transformation of the Cuban society." Enditem

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