- The facilities of the association Niños con Amor have welcomed a group of COCEMFE Seville volunteers with disabilities, as part of the inclusion and empowerment through volunteering project, “Be A Volunteer”, whose aim is to promote the personal and social development of people with disabilities.
Following skills training delivered both in Seville and in Tihany (Hungary), volunteers with disabilities from the Provincial Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of Seville, COCEMFE Seville, have begun taking their first steps in various volunteer placements across the city. Recent examples include the collaborations of Andy, Carmen and David with our member organisation Sitting Volley Sevilla over the summer, and the case of Javi Torrado, another volunteer with disabilities, at the company ANIMASOC in late August and early September.
In this context, COCEMFE Seville has intensified its institutional activity to open up new collaboration opportunities, with the objective of demonstrating how much volunteers with disabilities can contribute to Sevillian society through their effort, motivation and lived experience.
Institutional Visits: Niños con Amor and Ronald McDonald House
It is worth recalling that on 5 September, representatives from Niños con Amor visited the Federation’s headquarters for a meeting with our president, Nieves Márquez. Subsequently, we also visited Ronald McDonald House Seville, where we learned first-hand about its support programmes for families with hospitalised children.
Both organisations carry out social work with major impact: Niños con Amor focuses on comprehensive care and the educational and employment inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, while Ronald McDonald House provides accommodation and emotional support to families who must travel for their children’s medical treatment.
An Innovative Step: From Service Users to Volunteers
The visit to the Niños con Amor facilities proved an enriching and motivating experience for the young volunteers, who expressed their enthusiasm for contributing in a setting where, traditionally, people with disabilities have been seen as service users rather than active agents of transformation and change.
Following an initial meeting, a coordination session was held to define schedules and activities. The volunteers are expected to begin their duties in early October.
Participants shared their excitement about their new role as volunteers. David Iglesias Bossa expressed his intention to help other people with disabilities: “We are really eager to get started; we love the atmosphere and being able to help other people with disabilities, because this makes us very happy.”
Likewise, Carmen Navarro noted that this new path entails significant responsibilities and that she wishes to carry it out to the best of her ability:
“I’m nervous because it’s a great responsibility and I want to do it as well as possible.”
Next Steps
During October, collaboration will also begin with Ronald McDonald House Seville, where volunteers will be able to continue developing their skills.
COCEMFE Seville keeps the invitation open for new organisations to join the project, especially in the towns of Camas, Lora del Río, Coria del Río and Utrera, where we already have volunteers interested in joining local associations.
If your organisation is interested in collaborating, contact us and become part of this movement for inclusion at programas@cocemfesevilla.es or by phone on 954 93 27 93.
