1st Cuban Client
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
We're doing a site for a Cuban client! We're very excited about this, but not half as much as the client is. This is because, in Cuba, it's very difficult to get a website up. Why is this? Well, when you don't have a credit card you can't buy a domain name, nor can you set up hosting. As a Cuban citizen, you're not entitled to pop into an internet cafe. And you can forget about having easy access to even the slowest PC.
During a recent visit to the lovely Caribbean island, I met many warm Cuban people. For many of them, life is quite a struggle. Not being able to have a credit card is the least of their worries. How about not being able to simply go down to your local passport office and get a passport for travel? How about earning a monthly salary of 12 pesos (24 pesos if you're a doctor) - when prices all around are rising? I was travelling on a budget of 65 pesos per day. Huge difference there.
So I'm delighted to say that Brightspark is going to be doing a website for a Cuban family who live in the beautiful historic part of Havana and run a small B&B. "My mammy in Havana" who looked after me so well, arranged all my travel, and made me feel like I was coming home every time I stepped through the door. Watch this space.