The Pere Tarrés Foundation has launched the ‘Christmas solidarity’ campaign to promote social and educational programs that benefit the 6,000 children in vulnerable situations who attend the 85 centers that the entity has in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
To carry out the campaign, the entity called for donations from individuals, companies and institutions, which will be used to finance social and educational programs, oral and ophthalmological treatments and to rehabilitate some spaces in the socio-educational centers that are part of its network.
Last year, the Pere Tarrés Foundation, with the collaboration of various dental clinics and thanks to the resources obtained from the solidarity campaign and other donations received throughout the year, promoted dental treatments for 54 children.
Also, with the collaboration of the Barraquer Foundation, ophthalmological check-ups were carried out on 32 children in Barcelona and, as a result of these check-ups, 5 boys and girls received clinical care and the program provided glasses to 12 children.
Aside from this solidarity action, the foundation has reported that it will launch a second edition of the campaign to collect toys for children from families in situations of social risk ‘No child without toys’.
The economic difficulties generated in recent years have caused many of the families in the centers managed by the foundation to have been left without resources to cover their basic hygiene and food needs, and “in this context, buying gifts at Christmas is not a priority “, stressed the foundation, which aims to ensure that children in its socio-educational centers “can enjoy and get excited about games and toys, like other children.”
The entity has recalled that poverty has become chronic after four years of successive crises and that 24% of the population of Catalonia and 28% of children under 16 years of age were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022, according to data from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia.
The Pere Tarrés Foundation has indicated that in 2022 it granted 12,065 scholarships and aid that allowed children and young people in vulnerable situations to participate in educational and leisure activities.
A figure that, in addition to the aid to the 5,998 children who attend the 84 socio-educational centers, also includes the 5,669 boys, girls and young people who participated in summer leisure activities with scholarships in 2022, the 337 scholarship recipients in school camps and the 21 boys participating in the job insertion housing program for young migrants, the foundation added. EFE
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