The work of humanitarian workers is even more necessary in times of pandemics

8 September, 2020

Coinciding with the anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000, today, September 8, “Humanitarian worker’s Day”, all of us at Social Promotion Foundation join in the public recognition of the work that so many Spanish professionals – genuine professionals of solidarity – carry out in the field of cooperation for development abroad, and the dissemination of the values they transmit through their work in the fight for the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and a fairer world.

Mayte Illán, FPS Head of Mission in Palestine, sends us her message at the celebration of the Humanitarian workers’s Day.

For the Social Promotion Foundation, the work of our expatriate colleagues, such as Mayte and Gerard (in the image, Head of Mission of the Social Promotion Foundation in Ethiopia) is fundamental to guarantee the correct development of the projects that the Foundation currently has underway in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

In the case of Palestine, the work carried out within the framework of the agreement financed by AECID, contributes to increasing the availability of water for rural development, a key sector for accessing other rights and an adequate standard of living. Work is being done on the adaptation of rainwater collection cisterns and the rehabilitation of springs and pools. In the immediate future, it is planned to rehabilitate irrigation systems and install drip irrigation systems, based on efficiency.

Furthermore, the capacity of the rural population to adapt to climate change and a suitable environment is being promoted through access to renewable energies in terms of innovation and sustainability with the application of solar energy to agricultural techniques linked to the pumping and desalination of water and the reuse of wasted water.

In Ethiopia, in the framework of the AECID agreement, our work is aimed at ensuring agricultural and livestock production for more than 10,000 vulnerable people in rural areas in the Somali region.

In this region people are suffering from food insecurity for several months of the year, and addressing the effects of climate change and natural disasters through the sustainable recovery of the local environment.

The implementation of these projects would not be possible without the participation of our expatriate colleagues like Mayte and Gerard.

There are thousands of colleagues working as humanitarian workers to build a fairer world and eradicate poverty. Our homage at Social Promotion Foundation is for all of them.