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“Maria”—let’s call her Maria—looks out the van window as she holds her baby. Her husband is buckling her toddler son’s seat belt, and her daughters are having fun in the back seats. A few years ago, she would never have imagined having a day like this.
After a great deal of suffering, she’s on her way to her new home, with a new job in a new place for her family. Her family! A few years ago, she couldn’t even imagine having one.
Several members of the Godmother Foundation (Fundación Madrina) are working with Maria’s family. She and her husband and kids have been in need, more than ever now with the global crisis we’re going through.
Now the Godmother Foundation has found this Spanish family a new home in a small town in the province of Avila, and is taking them there so that they can start a new life.
Already in crisis before the pandemic
We’ve all been affected by the pandemic. The restaurant where you used to go for lunch every day has closed. Your friend whom you used to meet for a beer on Fridays is working remotely and his company has cut back his hours. Your wife’s father has passed away because of COVID-19 … The list goes on and on, and it seems that this situation will never end.
This is the reality many people face, but there are also many others who already were already having a hard time before the pandemic. If they were in a situation of need when there was no crisis, imagine now!
The Godmother Foundation was born with the purpose of helping pregnant mothers with their needs, and to help their children to be born (read more in our earlier article, here). A promise made to God has led to the birth of millions of children in Spain who would not have been born without the necessary support—support that is in short supply in today’s society.
In this situation of global crisis, the Foundation has started a project that solves two problems at once. It started to bear fruit last March 31, when they rehoused the first family in a village in the province of Avila.
A solution for an empty Spain
The idea is simple: There are people in Spain with problems finding a home, a job and even food for their children. At the same time, Spain has undergone demographic and social changes that have led to many villages and small towns slowly emptying out, to the point where their local stores or schools are forced to close.
With this project, the Godmother Foundation aims to support the most disadvantaged families, helping them obtain a house and a job so that they can get ahead. At the same time, they are helping repopulate villages and boost their economy and subsistence.
The Foundation is cooperating with local mayors and supporting the families with whatever they need until they can live a normal life. This initiative was begun in March, during one of the most complicated years of recent history in the middle of a global pandemic.
During the year 2020, they had to roll up their sleeves and help thousands of families who requested it. They have done so effectively, after 20 years of caring for mothers and babies all over Spain.
The Godmother Foundation
The Godmother Foundation (Fundación Madrina) was created in 2000, after the founder, Conrado Giménez, realized this troubling fact: 95% of high-risk young girls and teens in Spain were being neglected due to a lack of resources.
These young people face serious problems of social exclusion and marginalization. As a result, they struggle with loss of employment, abandonment by their partner or family, loss of home, and the desertion or loss of custody of children.
Organizations like this one are stepping up to help in countries around the world. If we’ve been blessed with stability and sufficient means during this difficult time, it’s an invitation for us to see how we can do our part to help those in need.
And today we celebrate...