CECA Foundations Invest €135,538,820 in Social Work and Action Initiatives During the Pandemic
All foundations are collaborating with social dining rooms and food banks in their cities to assist families with fewer resources
The Financial Education programs have been adapted and reinforced to meet the new needs arising from the pandemic, deepening digitalization and facilitating access for the most vulnerable groups
Throughout 2019, a total of €845 million was allocated to Social Work, carrying out 120,847 activities and benefiting over 35 million people
The entities associated with CECA, through their foundations, are providing urgent solutions in the field of Social Work and Action to address the most basic needs imposed by the current situation arising from the health crisis. In this sense, the foundations associated with CECA have allocated a total of €135,538,820 to enhance investment in Social Work and Action during the pandemic and have relied on the collaboration of 19,300 volunteers and 230 healthcare telephone assistance professionals. Thus, during this period, they have developed nearly 350 research projects on COVID-19 and have donated 551,528 masks and face shields, 13 ventilators, 6,600 tablets, and 2,500 basic and food product packages.
Among the multitude of initiatives and programs carried out, three types of initiatives stand out. Firstly, direct assistance to families with fewer resources. In this regard, all foundations are collaborating with social dining rooms, expanding the scholarships they have been offering or launching campaigns with the food banks in their cities to supply them in the face of growing demand. On the other hand, they have donated equipment to hospitals such as ventilators and other necessary materials and have permanently made available on their digital platforms a varied offer of cultural, educational, and academic and professional guidance resources to facilitate access for all people, from any location. Furthermore, the foundations have supported 350 medical research projects to achieve effective vaccines and treatments against the disease.
Notably, the Funcas Program for Stimulating Financial Education (Funcas Educa) 2020, with a budget of €3.025 million, has started this year with measures aimed at mitigating the effects of the coronavirus crisis. With the social and economic life of citizens conditioned by the pandemic, some areas of action of the Funcas Educa Program acquire special relevance. In particular, the programs have been adapted and reinforced to meet the new needs of the population arising from the pandemic, deepening digitalization and facilitating access for the most vulnerable groups to these channels, emphasizing safety precautions, promoting consumer protection, and focusing on our elderly citizens.
According to data from the 2019 Social Work Report, a total of €845 million was allocated in the last fiscal year to Social Work and Action, almost a 4% increase compared to the previous year, carrying out 120,847 activities (approximately 4% more than in 2018), reaching over 35 million beneficiaries. In 2019, 53% of the Social Work investment was allocated to specific groups such as children and youth, people at risk of social exclusion, and those over 65 years old.
In the words of Ona Carbonell, ambassador of the Social Work and Action of CECA, “the contribution of CECA entities to the social and economic development of our society, through numerous initiatives and programs, is very noteworthy.” Indeed, over the last six years, investment in Social Work and Action activities of CECA has increased by 17%, from €709 million dedicated in 2014 to €830 million in 2019. During this period, more than 670,000 activities have been carried out through the Social Work.
