Barcelona (Spain) (EFE).- The Spanish Catholic NGO united hands warns of the importance of contributing to international cooperation, with economic contributions or other means, since “828 million people are hungry today in the world.”
In statements to EFE, the delegate-president of Manos Unidas in Barcelona (northeast Spanish), Mireia Angerri, explains that this development organization works to provide tools to local communities so that they “be protagonists of their development.”
“We do not do welfare work, we do not do charity,” he says. Manos Unidas works with partners who are directly in the territory and know it, to whom they provide support and economic resources so that they can develop the projects and get what they need.
Manos Unidas was founded 64 years ago by women who wanted to fight hunger in the world, and it has always been run by people of this sex.
“We dedicate projects exclusively to empowering women,” says Angerri, who also explains that the scourge of sexist violence multiplies in underdeveloped countries. This makes it necessary to promote projects “that help them become independent.”
“WE DO NOT GIVE FISH, WE TEACH HOW TO FISH”
The NGDO carries out 500 development cooperation projects in more than 50 countries, the majority in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which affect areas as diverse as health, education, agriculture or women’s rights: “We don’t give fish, we teach to fish”, summarizes Angerri.
When they are presented with a project, they study the feasibility and begin to work.
Although Manos Unidas has 5,000 volunteers and 150 people on staff, Angerri encourages society to get involved in this work: “We always need more.”
Regarding financing, he explains that 43% of the entity’s income comes from partners and donors, individuals who decide to pay a fee periodically or make a sporadic annual contribution, followed by those made by religious entities and parishes (16% ).
“Manos Unidas works to basically make that phrase that the last will be the first come true, it shows that desire to love everyone as yourself, to share, to be supportive, to banish selfishness, individualism…” , Angerri points out. EFE
