No Child Without a Roof

On Sunday the 23rd October I was in Tangier visiting a foster home called Al-Amal (Hope) which is run by an incredible woman, Mari Almendros, Spanish from Estepona but born in Tangier. Al-Amal is an NGO legally registered in Spain and in Morocco and it had the support of several funds (among which was one from the Extremadura government) which disappeared when the crisis began. It is home to boys ranging from 8 to 18 years of age who were found on the streets.

They were nearly evicted before this past summer as there was no money to pay for the rent and the owner of the building had won the eviction court case. The day of my visit and with the legal assistance of lawyer Isabel Ferrer, an agreement was signed with the property owner and the rent due was paid with the financial aid of the Rotary Club of Fuengirola which contributed 10,000€.

There are two Moroccan families who supply the food but the foster home needs around 150 members to be able to pay for the rent, electricity and water, and upto to now there are 70 members. All the boys go to school and in the house there are teachers who help and supervise them. These teachers are volunteers because there are insufficient funds to pay them a salary but the NGO’s objective is to be able to pay for salaries and employ qualified staff.

The house needs some reparations (it is a nice property and in a good neighbourhood but it is old) and not long ago the roof caved in and is being repaired. You can view the reparation process on their website.

I would like to ask that you dedicate a few minutes of your time to look at the foster home’s website, that you become members and to set up a direct debit so that the organization can know what money is available every month. The minimum contribution is 6€ per month which can be paid every quarter. You can also pay by semester or per year.  In their website you will find a form which you can fill out and become a member in a quick and easy manner. If you would like to meet the children we can organize a day trip to Tangier to meet them. The boys all understand Spanish and are very charming. You can imagine the stories that these children are dragging along with them and the situations they have had to suffer.

Thank you,

Diana Morales

Diana Morales, 08 Nov 2011 - News