Almost half a million children in Catalonia are living in poverty. This overwhelming figure – which has increased by two points compared to last year – was given today by the Fundació Pere Tarrés: “We don’t want anyone to be left out. We want to create opportunities for people,” said Rafael Ruiz de Gauna, head of the network of socio-educational centers.
The Foundation promotes solidarity projects to help reduce social inequalities. One of these initiatives is the summer scholarships: “Not participating in leisure spaces is equivalent to two fewer years of schooling,” Ruiz de Gauna stated. These scholarships seek to give value to these activities in summer, when attention from administrations disperses: “What is necessary during the school year seems not to be in summer.” Additionally, it also allows the foundation to conduct a study to assess the situations of the participants to demand that leisure reach everyone: “It is not an anecdote. It must be a basic pillar of education.” Ruiz de Gauna stated that growing up playing football or going on excursions allows children to gain “self-esteem and confidence.”
Of the more than 7,000 children who participated in one of these scholarships last summer, 334 cases have been studied by the foundation. More than 60% have Spanish nationality, and one in three families is single-parent. “We are facing very vulnerable situations,” said David Lozano, the person in charge of the study. “We have families living in one room and sharing apartments,” Lozano explained. Only one in ten owns a property, and almost 70% live in homes smaller than 75 m².
Of the total, 6,000 come from families referred by social services. The average income of these families is 13,292 euros, while in Catalonia, the figure is 43,000. Eight out of ten are in moderate poverty, six out of ten in severe poverty, and one in six in extreme poverty. “Poverty is increasing,” Lozano assured.
The scholarships also have a place for children with special educational needs: only 20% across Catalonia participate in leisure activities. “For them to feel that they are not outcasts and that they can enjoy like the rest should be a challenge of the highest magnitude,” defended Ruiz de Gauna.
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David Gambau is an educator at the center the foundation has in Sant Adrià del Besòs. But he was also one of the children who received their help: “They helped me grow and believe in myself. Now I am the one who makes children believe in themselves.” Gambau explained that the simple fact of being able to play football made him feel that “he was not different.” “They are children who never leave their neighborhood,” Ruiz de Gauna elaborated, who also stated that “feeling cared for has immense value.”
This value has benefited Bhermar and Khamila, Colombian grandmother and granddaughter who arrived in Catalonia two years ago. One of the activities they value most is literacy. Bhermar explained that Khamila helps her with Catalan: the grandmother reads and tries to translate, and the granddaughter – 7 years old – corrects her. “It integrates us into this society that is giving us the opportunity.” Additionally, they also have psychological support: “She has become very emotionally strong,” Bhermar stated. She explained that “coming here alone to Catalonia was not easy for the two of them.” She also receives psychological follow-up as a single-parent mother and grandmother. “One never feels helpless at any time,” she affirmed.
The foundation has increased the summer scholarships, which almost double those given in 2020, and amount to 2.2 million euros. “It grows because every year there is more need to care for these children,” Ruiz de Gauna explained. Still, the foundation warns that they are “insufficient”: “We ask for more support.”