CHARITY SPEECH - Casal dels Infants de Barcelona

Ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Sara Soneira. It is an honor to me to be talking to you today on behalf of El Casal dels
Infants de Barcelona, whose English translation is Barcelonas Children House.
I have had the chance to see how it works from inside, being part of it, being a volunteer. And I
can assure you that it has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my entire life.
El Casal dels Infants is a social and civic entity. We work in the suburbs, by the side of those
children and teenagers with more difficulties, so that they can have as many opportunities as
possible. We do it with the absolute conviction that every child or young adult in a difficult
situation, no matter how hard this situation is, can succeed, if they get the support that they
need.
We fight against drowned families, who become poorer every day. Only 5% of our children count
with two salaries at home.
We fight against severe privations in childrens life conditions. If youre cold, youre hungry and
you feel anxious, you dont learn the same way as other kids, and your future is at stake.
Education is a basic need.
We fight against forgotten boys and girls, when having a job does not guarantee not being poor.
Almost 80% of the young adults attended live in a situation of social emergency, without being
able to cover basic needs.
To guarantee them opportunities, we generate answers by: by promotion of families in situation
of poverty, by children and teenagers accompaniment for social promotion and school success, by
support to youth formation and autonomy and by strengthening of the suburb and community for
social cohesion.
This is when you appear. In 2014 we looked for support from various sources, and obtained an
amount of over 5.300.000. 38% of this belongs to public administrations, while 62% comes from
the civil society, in which all of you are included. This funding has driven the running of 50
projects, and has serviced more than 6.300 people.
But theres still a lot to do. To make this possible we need more support, we need you. From
making a donation, to becoming a volunteer. From participating in a charity chocolate party, to
giving a talk at your school or company, as I am doing now.
We need to be people for people. We need to be side by side. Because only together we can give
these children social and educative answers that make them a springboard to jump up high.
Thank you all very much for being here today and for listening to this. Thank you!