82 young Basques who will volunteer to cooperate in Africa and America receive documents

In Lakoa, they collect plane tickets and references for their summer residence in 12 states to develop 31 social projects

Bilbao, 5 July (Europe Press) –

Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies of the Basque Government, Beatrice Artolazabal, with Youth Director, Agortzani Lano, Director of the Basque e-Langeditza Agency for Development Cooperation, Paul Ortega, and fourteen NGOs-NGOs handed over the documents this afternoon to 82 young people who will implement , in the summer, cooperation assignments in 31 social projects developed in 12 states in Africa and America.

“I am probably now with the most supportive and generous young people in Euskadi, plus almost 80% of this group is made up of women,” Artolazabal told a group of young people.

The counselor told the youth group that they would dedicate “valuable and valuable community time” to each of the 34 projects they are involved in. “You will take the name of the Basque country beyond its borders and its privileged position as a European country committed to solidarity and the people,” he said.

Likewise, Artolazabal assured them that, wherever they were, “young people, children, and the inhabitants of that environment will notice you and notice well how you act, what you do and what the human spirit you display.” “Wherever you are, you will learn a lot and well from these good people who certainly surpass us in many human aspects with their simplicity and practicality in life,” he stressed.

The youth group was selected, after various meetings and interviews with the responsible NGOs, in Barria in Alava. From now on, for a period of three months, they will participate with the indigenous people of their destinations in educational tasks, construction of hydraulic infrastructures and new roads.

Trips

Starting tomorrow, they will start their flights in different groups on scheduled flights from Loiu Airport. They were selected from among 409 applicants, of whom 82 young people (79.26% women (65) and 20.74% men (17), 17 of them from Gibuzcoa, 49 from Bizkaia: 49 and 16 from Alava 16.

Their destinations are located in 31 social projects located in Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda.

Selected profiles are of all kinds, from education, teaching, and sports, health, agricultural, engineering, environmental sciences and music professionals, to social work, cooking, psychology, and English and science teachers, as Agurtzane Llano detailed.

Several months ago, the coordinating NGOs explained to a group of young collaborators the tasks they would undertake in the destination countries, commenting on various singularities and questions about development cooperation, health advice for international travel or gender and development, among others.

Group dynamics has also been implemented to know the expectations of the selected people and help them to adapt. “We did different work in groups and the potential interest of each young man was analyzed and responded to upon finding out about their fate so that they could comment on this for their families that would take them away at that time. Needless to say, in addition to the health insurance journey, they receive direct support from the affiliated NGOs. them,” explained Lano Agortzani and Paul Ortega.

The NGOs participating are Egoaizia Association for Development Cooperation, SERSO San Viator de Euskal Herria, “Juan Ciudad” NGO, Ayuda en Acción Foundation, Salesian Missions, Taupadak Elkartea Association, Medicus Mundi Bizkaia Elkartea Association, Edex – Community Resource Center, Haurralde Fundazioa, World Rural Forum Development Association, Vedruna-Solive Solidarity Association, “Manuel Iradier” Africanist Association, ICLI Engineering for Cooperation and Saluganda Elkartea.