Since its arrival, the pandemic has hit the elderly, users of residential homes and occupational centres very hard.

For years, at the request of the Madrid Agency for Social Care, and under a MoU signed with this agency and the Regional Ministry of Social Policies, Family, Equality and Birth of the Community of Madrid, the Social Promotion Foundation has been developing a leisure and accompanying volunteering programme in the Barajas occupational centre with young professionals volunteers from Madrid.

The occupational centres where people with intellectual disabilities live, suffered the scourge of the COVID-19.

The volunteer work of Social Promotion, which had been carried out with a high level of participation and regularity, was thus interrupted.

At the beginning of this course, thanks to the Madrid Agency for Social Care, to the management and staff of the Barajas occupational centre and to the committment and initiative of the young volunteers, it was possible to resume the workdays remotely via zoom.

On Friday 13th October, a visit was made by the Occupational Centre Manager (AMAS), by a technician, the director of CO Barajas and the Residence Director in order to set up all the equipment and the room fitted out for the volunteering via zoom.

The Foundation has coordinated meetings with the volunteers to prepare the activity in this new format.

Clara, Curro and Luisa, coordinators of this volunteer activity of the Foundation, tell us that the reunion has been very exciting and that despite the months that have passed since the interruption of the volunteer activity, everyone, volunteers and users, were eager to meet again.

There are objective difficulties related to the social distancing measures needed to avoid the spread of the virus. In the room fitted out with a screen and audio equipment, only a restricted number of users can access each session, but the centre has established a shift system so that all users can enjoy this activity.

Our volunteers share on screen fun games in which everyone participates.

As they say, nothing will separate them from us. The volunteer activity in the Barajas occupational centre is carried out on Saturdays two weeks a month.