Since the beginning of the Covid-19 health crisis, humanitarian organisations in Spain have restructured their staff and economic resources to ensure that they leave anyone behind
The Red Cross has organised the largest mobilisation of people and resources in its history
The Red Cross is possibly the organisation that is providing the greatest amount of support and resources. A month ago, it launched its Red Cross RESPONDS to Covid-19 plan, aimed especially at people in vulnerable situations and the general population, in the largest mobilisation of resources and people in the organisation’s history.
In its first month, the Red Cross has already reached 600,000 interventions. With a budget of 11 million euros, the organisation is directly helping 1.35 million people, thanks to approximately 31,200 volunteers at more than 1,400 sites. They cover the basic needs of food, hygiene, health and an allowance to cover basic amenities to around 25,000 families; they attend to approximately 720,000 who are more vulnerable to Covid-19; and provide psychological telephone assistance to approximately 200,000 people who are suffering from loneliness.
They have also made available to the health authorities their personnel and logistical resources, such as ambulances; infrastructure and assistance for the construction of temporary hospitals; psychosocial intervention teams; accommodation for thousands of homeless people; and thousands of individual protection teams.
Many companies have joined the Red Cross RESPONDS Plan: car companies such as Jaguar Land Rover and Ford; banks such as BBVA and CaixaBank; communication and media groups such as Atresmedia; energy companies such as Naturgy and Endesa; supermarket chains such as Auchan and Caprabo; Amazon, Mitsubishi Electric, Philips, football clubs and many other entities. Also personalities such as Rafa Nadal and Pau Gasol, who have encouraged the public through social media to participate in the project.
Doctors Without Borders, at the disposal of the health authorities
From the outset, Doctors Without Borders have placed all its staff and health expertise in the hands of the national health system. Through state, regional and local coordination platforms, they have offered their experience, management models and proposals, especially in Madrid and Barcelona, the areas most affected by the pandemic.
Their objective has been to absorb the greatest number of patients possible in order to expand healthcare services and take the pressure off the healthcare system. This has been most effective through special units that support hospitals such as the Severo Ochoa and Príncipe de Asturias hospitals in Madrid, that have 200 beds between them, as well as the ones they run in Catalonia.
Another of Doctors Without Borders main concerns is the protection of the elderly. To this end, teams from the organisation are travelling to homes all over Spain to assess risks and implement hygiene and protection measures, as well as providing advice on case management. In addition, Doctors Without Borders has set up the Coronavirus Crisis Fund, an international fundraising campaign to finance the Doctors Without Borders response to the global challenge of Covid-19. The goal is to reach 100 million euros.
Foto: MSF / Olmo Calvo
‘No one will be without food’- the mission of Food Banks and Caritas
The Spanish Federation of Food Banks and Caritas are joining forces to ensure that during this crisis no one goes hungry.
Despite the difficulties caused by the suspension of on-site food collections (the famous ‘Operation Kilo’), which have significantly reduced the stock in their warehouses, Food Banks continue to work together with other charities to distribute food to people in need, adapting to the current circumstances and security measures. However, they are asking for financial support and volunteers to continue supplying their warehouses with stock so they can continue to distribute it to people in need.
Caritas is also appealing to the public and launched the campaign ‘Every Gesture Counts’ at the beginning of the crisis to raise funds and awareness of the impact the crisis will have on the most vulnerable. The organisation is mobilising over 5,600 employees and 85,000 volunteers throughout the country. Caritas has also reopened its reception centre in Valencia, so that homeless people have a place to stay during the confinement period. It has also extended the amount of time people can stay at the Oviedo reception centre in order to reduce the mobility of homeless people and prevent contagion.
Children, the focus of Aldeas Infantiles and Save the Children
Aldeas Infantiles and Save the Children are working to ensure the welfare of another of the most sensitive groups: children.
Aldeas Infantiles supports and helps around 6,000 children in Spain: approximately 1,155 children who grow up in its protection programmes (in foster families or in the eight centres of the organisation in Spain), and it provides support and help to those whose families are in need, to ensure their wellbeing. In both cases, Aldeas Infantiles has prepared educational workshops, support and follow-up programmes and protocol for action in the face of possible contagion, as well as providing aid to cover basic food, hygiene and health needs.
Through the campaign ‘By Your Side’, Save the Children supports the nearly 8,000 children it attends to throughout Spain, carefully monitoring the consequences of school closures in particularly vulnerable families. So far, Save the Children has assisted more than 1,500 families (around 2,400 children), helping them with aspects such as online education (using electronic tablets and providing support with online tutors) and looking after their nutritional needs by providing families with supermarket coupons.
Photo: Aldeas Infantiles
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