UPF is to subsidize twelve charity projects driven by members of the University community
UPF is to subsidize twelve charity projects driven by members of the University community
The 2020 call for financial assistance for social engagement and sustainable development projects promoted by UPF Solidària adjudicated. There is a great variety of initiatives geared towards education and knowledge transfer at local and international levels.
UPF is to subsidize twelve charity projects selected under the 2020 call for financial assistance for social engagement and sustainable development projects promoted each year by UPF Solidària. This year, 22 projects were submitted by PAS, PDI, alumni and students of the University in several countries. As a new feature, participation was also open to retired UPF employees.
The call is endowed with €40,000, which has been shared out in the form of grants ranging from €813 to €8,355. The themes of the selected initiatives vary greatly: education for women in rural areas, prevention of maternal and child malnutrition, child and youth education, building resilience for the welfare and integration of refugees and migrants... The organizations will carry out their various charitable activities both locally (2 in Barcelona) and abroad (two in Mozambique, 3 in Senegal, 1 in Mali, 1 in Madagascar, 1 in Burkina Faso, and 1 in Greece).
The projects will receive aid of between €813 and €8,355 and will be carried out locally (2 in Catalonia) and internationally (8 in Africa and 1 in Europe)
As in previous years, the fact that the initiatives are related with the subject of Planetary Wellbeing was taken into account as it is one of the University’s central projects, and with the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030 approved by the United Nations. The project members’ experience in cooperation, solidarity and volunteering was also taken into account as well as its interuniversity nature.
The evaluation committee, responsible for choosing the recipients of the subsidies, was chaired by Mònica Figueras, vice-rector for social commitment and equality projects. It also comprised experts in the field of development cooperation, members of the different University bodies and a representative of the Board of Trustees.
Twelve projects for education and knowledge transfer
This year, three categories were established for projects according to their purpose: training-education (actions to promote education and/or facilitate teacher training in universities or other formal education institutions on sustainable development issues); projects to promote international development cooperation, and local charity activities aimed at groups at risk of social exclusion.
Of the twelve projects to receive aid, four were presented for the first time
- Bicycle water pumps for development (Azada Verde).
- A community leadership training programme for rural women in Xaouen (Associació per a la Cooperació al Desenvolupament Azahara).
- Building resilience for the welfare and integration of refugees and migrants in loannina (Greece) through education and learning programmes (Proyecto AMAL).
- "Imatges diverses” photography workshop (Pere Mitjans Foundation)
The other eight, however, had already been submitted at previous editions:
- Training in business techniques and management for women farmers in Medina Boudialabou (Acció Solidària i Logística).
- Origen Yeumbeul: information&training save lives (Proa Open Arms Foundation)
- Educating in creativity: a tool for sustainability and independence (Associació Educació Solidària).
- Art to tackle the emancipation of young people in care (Associació Punt de Referència).
- Kalan Yiriwa: educational development on the outskirts of Bamako (Associació Solidària Djouma).
- Early detection and monitoring of maternal and child malnutrition at our Nutritional Centre in Tanambao (Madagascar). Development of nutritional supplements using local resources (Agua de Coco Foundation).
- Education and professionalization to eradicate poverty (CAT SYA NGO).
- Space for integration and learning through the use of free time among children and young people from the island of IBO (IBO Foundation).