Saharawi children will be able to enjoy Villafranca this summer with their host families | Villafranca

This summer, after two years, the ‘Holidays in Peace’ program returns for the reception of boys and girls from the Saharawi refugee population camps (Tindouf, Algeria).

The development of the program during the summer will allow the Saharawi refugee children to access a health check and improve their diet, as well as reinforce socio-educational and intercultural capacities by participating in the activities planned for it. In addition, it will be possible to bring the host families and their environment closer to the reality of the Sahara and its culture, awakening sensitivity and promoting commitment in the defense of the rights of the Saharawi people in Extremadura.

Last Friday, it was announced by the association of friends of the Saharawi people of Villafranca de los Barros. Members of said association, and at the same time, host families, encouraged “from their experience” that families from Villafranca join ‘Holidays in Peace’. “They give us a different reality from the one we have,” emphasized Hilario Díaz Mayo, president of the Friends of the Saharawi People’s Association of Villafranca. The secretary of the association, Isabel López, reinforced, “Not only are the children who come here given the opportunity, but also ourselves as a family, because we can live an experience that is very rewarding.” She also commented that this program serves as a springboard for the ‘Madrasa’ educational project during the winter, which provides family and community support for young Saharawis from refugee camps in Algeria to study in Spain.

Three of the sixteen boys in the region who currently benefit from this latest project also attended the press conference. «I have been with this project for six years, I am very happy, it is an opportunity that the supportive Spanish families offer us to move forward and be able to have a better future… it is very beautiful because we have two lives, the one from there, and the one from here, totally different, but we learn from both… here you receive the same affection that any child, cousin, grandson receives… you become one more member of the family”, said Saila Salama, a young Saharawi student of the Madrasa project.

The Delegate of the Saharawi People in Extremadura Mohamed Abedelhay also spoke, who called on the entire Spanish population to achieve freedom for their people due to the Moroccan invasion for more than 46 years, the self-determination of the Saharawi State.

Any family can join the project. The solidarity of Extremaduran families with the Saharawi People can be renewed by calling 697 83 85 12 (Fedesaex), 622 07 99 72 (Badajoz), 687 90 84 80 (Cáceres), or by mail

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