The Spanish Red Cross, awarded by Naturgy Foundation for its social contribution to alleviate energy poverty
The CÍRVITE – Plena Inclusión organisation has received the runner-up prize for their sustainable care home for elderly people with disabilities in the fourth edition of the social awards presented by the energy company’s charitable foundation.
Today, the Naturgy Foundation for the fourth time presented its prize for best social energy initiative which aims to raise the profile of people, organisations and institutions that stand out in the social sector for their own energy-related projects, as well as for the promotion of social initiatives in this field.
Out of the ten projects that made it to the final, the jury decided that this year’s winner was be the Spanish Red Cross, for their comprehensive project fighting for people who are at risk of extreme poverty and exclusion, which has helped 20,200 people directly and 80,800 indirectly.
In second place came an initiative by CÍRVITE – Plena Inclusión, for their sustainable care home for elderly people with disabilities in Madrid.
This year, 66 organisations from all over Spain presented their candidacy for the award, which grants €60,000 to the winning organisation and €30,000 to the runner-up, to help to advance their projects.
Naturgy’s chairman, Francisco Reynés, congratulated the award winners, also praising the finalists and all the organisations that presented their candidacies this year. “This award is a demonstration of what the Naturgy Foundation seeks to do, which is to help those who most need it, and to show that business and social solidarity are not incompatible”, he said.
For his part, the Naturgy Foundation’s chairman Rafael Villaseca, congratulated the ten finalists having undertaken major projects that focus on supporting groups in a situation of energy vulnerability. “The fourth edition of this prize once again demonstrates the massive amount of work that many institutions do to bridge the energy gap and support a society that is more committed to people, the environment and renewable energy”, said Villaseca.
The 66 projects presented this year are in addition to the 198 submitted over the three previous editions. In total, more than 700,000 people have benefited from the projects that have competed for this award in the last four years.
The Red Cross, fighting extreme poverty and exclusion
The Red Cross prize winning project is based on ensuring access to reliable, accessible and sustainable energy as a basis for mitigating the situation of vulnerability in which many families find themselves. The institution works with people who are at risk of extreme poverty and exclusion, so that they have the necessary energy resources to ensure adequate levels of well-being in the society in which we live. To do so, they identify things that can be done to refurbish the homes of people in their target group. The Red Cross has managed to help 20,200 people directly and 80,800 indirectly through this project.
Its work is based on collaboration with the energy sector by signing agreements, providing basic information to organisations about how energy poverty affects households and seeking innovative solutions, such as installing solar panels to ensure electricity supply, and energy-related volunteering.
CÍRVITE – Plena Inclusión, at the service of elderly people with disabilities
The runner-up spot went to CÍRVITE – Plena Inclusión, in recognition of the first home-from-home in Spain adapted for elderly people with disabilities and has Passivhaus certification, which is a guarantee of the sustainability of social services. It is worth highlighting the acoustic and thermal insulation, as well as the process of air purification in buildings which reduces the risk of infection and ensures environmental comfort, in line with the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda. The comprehensive care provided by CÍRVITE – Plena Inclusión has meant that the number of people with disabilities with no family or home on the waiting list has gone down, and the organisation has helped a total of 44 people.
The finalists
The other projects that reached the final in this edition were the Adsis Foundation, the Fundación Infantil Ronald McDonald, Provivienda, ALIDA Ingeniería del Medio SL, Cáritas Diocesana de Madrid, Carmen Sánchez-Guevara (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), the Luz Solidaria Foundation and the United Way España Foundation. Their initiatives centred on alleviating energy poverty, setting up efficient installations, jobs, training, awareness raising and the circular economy.
“Each one of the initiatives submitted this year underscores the high levels of social commitment and networking undertaken by the institutions. At the Naturgy Foundation we are, like every year, committed to giving visibility to energy-related projects that contribute to social well-being” explained María Eugenia Coronado, general manager of the Naturgy Foundation.
The winners were revealed at an event that included an explanation of the projects submitted to compete for the prize, with the aim of increasing awareness of their work, sharing experiences and encouraging alliances that benefit vulnerable groups.
The jury was chaired by Manuel Bretón, Chairman of Cáritas Spain, and the other members were Llum Delàs, trustee of the Esperanza Foundation; Salvador García-Atance, Chairman of the Lealtad Foundation, Father Ángel García Rodríguez, Chairman of Mensajeros de la Paz (Messengers of Peace); Juan José López Burniol, Deputy Chairman of the ‘la Caixa’ Banking Foundation; Alberto Nuñez, SJ, professor at the General Management and Strategy department at ESADE; Josep Ramoneda, Director of the European School of Humanities in Barcelona; Elena Salgado, Chair of the Spanish Consultancy Firms Association; Javier Senent, Ex-President of the Spanish Red Cross, Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, President of the Spanish Committee for UNICEF, the Deputy Chairman of the Naturgy Foundation, Jordi Garcia Tabernero, and its General Manager, María Eugenia Coronado.
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