Within the framework of the Blanquerna Solidarity Action projects and with the support of the UNESCO URL-Banc de Santander Chair, Dr. Lluís Costa (from the School of Health Sciences) and Dr. Alain Blomart (from the School of Psychology, Education and Sport Science) accompanied 18 students to Morocco, on an awareness-raising and volunteering trip that took place from Saturday 4 to Thursday 9 February.
They spent the first two days in the city of Tétouan, where they visited the Association de Protection de l’Enfance et Sensibilisation de la Famille (APISF), which cares for girls at risk, as well as the Zeitoun Center, which takes in adolescents, including sub-Saharan migrants.
The group moved on to Tangier on the third day. On the way from Tétouan to Tangier, they passed the border with Ceuta. In Tangier, the students spend a day and a half working as volunteers in four different settings: with adults with physical, sensory and psychological disabilities (Franciscans of the White Cross Center), with children from disadvantaged families (Jesús-María nursery), with deaf-mute children (Effeteh), or holding a painting workshop with sub-Saharan women (Diocesan Delegation for Migration-DDM).
Throughout the week, they were also able to listen to a talk about Islam and two others on immigration, borders and NGOs that help migrants. The trip was a success in every sense, as it allowed the students to learn first-hand about the lives of children and adults from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as having a multicultural and convivial experience.
