Repsol YPF
Ruta
Voluntary work, it helps and is gratifying
It is gratifying. It is gratifying, it increases awareness, and above all it helps others. Voluntary work with physically, sensory or mentally disabled people notably helps to improve their quality of life. There are many foundations, associations and institutions which need help and volunteers in order to carry out their projects and help these groups.
How can we help them?
Without any doubt, there are many ways to help through volunteer programmes. In this respect, projects are aimed at improving the quality of life of disabled people, increasing their independence and integration in their everyday environment. As such, voluntary work usually focuses upon support activities aimed at achieving social and labour integration. For example: helping a young person to adequately progress with their studies (taking them to university, providing them with notes when they cannot attend classes...), accompanying a paralytic person on a walk, helping them to perform leisure activities at weekends, etc.
Meanwhile, there are programmes which seek to address specific shortfalls: adapted transport, technical assistance (wheelchairs, adapting the home), additional home help or treatments in specialist centres.
In the case of the mentally disabled, the activities assigned to volunteers seek to prevent isolation and loneliness, as well as making the lives of these people normal. In order to achieve this, they accompany and care for people in homes, carry out tasks outside the centre, provide support in occupational centres, therapy tasks, training activities with integration and normalisation objectives, etc.
In cases where residence in a home is not involved, there are associations which carry out leisure activities for young people and adults, such as sports, painting and theatre workshops, cultural outings, contact with nature, camps, etc. The volunteers also carry out what are known as Breather Programmes for relatives which due to their devotion to these people, have little free time for themselves. Likewise, they can provide information and guidance on services and resources to families and disabled people with the aim of promoting their social integration and offering the necessary support to their families.
Some specific cases
A Toda Vela (At Full Sail)
This organisation, based in Almeria, seeks to promote leisure activities for the mentally handicapped through its programmes and the support of volunteers, providing an outlet for their social participation. As such, every year they organise sports workshops (athletics, swimming, walking etc) and cultural workshops (painting, music etc).
For further information on this charity you can visit their website or call 950239090.
Disability and Voluntary Work Unit
The Disability and Voluntary Work Unit is a service that forms part of the UNED (Spanish Distance Learning University) Vice-Chancellor’s Student and Professional Development Office, the principal objective of which is that disabled students who wish to study at this university have the same opportunities as other students.
With this objective, the Unit coordinates and carries out a series of actions aimed at assistance, support and advice which enables them to participate fully, where possible, in university life. Likewise, this organisation puts volunteers in touch with other associations so that they can collaborate. This is the case of ComKedem, which started up in Barcelona three years ago. The idea was to organise activities where disabled people could participate equally and, since then, they have organised several summer camps, workshops and weekend outings and have created a wheelchair hockey team that takes part in various competitions.
For further information on this charity you can e-mail the organisation discapacidad@adm.uned.es and voluntariado@adm.uned.es or call 91 398 60 74.
Aturem Association
Located in Seville, this organisation helps the mentally disabled. They have several centres at which they seek to respond to people’s needs depending on their age and disability type. Volunteers can carry out different activities at the Adult Occupational Centre, Adult Day Unit and childcare section of the CIES special needs school.
For further information about this charity, e-mail the organisation aturem-familias@telefonica.net or call 954 5199 44.
Apsa
Apsa, the Alicante Association for the Mentally Disabled implements all sorts of programmes using volunteers including; supporting the leaders at the workshops held at the Derramar Occupational Centre, helping with therapeutic outings as part of the Rehabilitation Support Programme at the Fontcalent Psychiatric Unit or supervising the life skills of people residing in APSA sheltered accommodation.
Further information on this association may be obtained via their web page or by calling 965257112.
Related articles
Most read
