This year COVID-19 has created an increase in the number of people in poverty and who need help, especially in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. In addition, local businesses have also suffered financially.
But thanks to Comunitaria (before Wikibank), these less fortunate families can be helped, we have offered them fresh produce, which is not available in food banks. This in turn supports the recovery of local businesses in the poorer neighbourhoods.
We are reaching our goal of increasing our support and services in the poorest neighbourhoods in Seville.
First, we started in the neighbourhood of La Oliva, which was a great success for Comunitaria and the community, as we were able to help 40 families in need. You can watch our interview on RTVE.
Now, we have added another neighbourhood where we are helping, this neighbourhood is called Los pajaritos, and is located in Avenida Andalucía, Seville. It is considered one of the poorest neighborhoods in Spain according to INE 2020 data, where people live in very unfavourable conditions.
We have also been able to contact the Caritas Association of the Los Pajaritos neighbourhood. Caritas is now a strong ally for Comunitaria, as it collaborates with us to help families in extreme poverty. By doing so, we increase the number of people who we can help and offer fresh food.
At the moment, 4 shops in La Candelaria market, located at 27 Gaviota Street, have joined Wikibank.
The fresh produce shops that are using Wikibank are:
Finally, a new shop, “Droguería Ángel”, has also joined Comunitaria. We wanted to add this basic products shop so that families receiving aid can also buy basic products.
After conducting interviews with Comunitaria members, we have been able to find out how well Comunitaria is working in the neighbourhood.
The businesses are very happy to be able to use it, they find it very easy and practical. In addition, Comunitaria guarantees that they will increase their monthly income, thanks to the fact that the beneficiaries will consume their products through the donations.
On the other hand, we have also talked to the recipients of the grants who have used Wikibank. The families are really happy to be able to consume fresh produce from the market, something that was previously unavailable to them.
Our main objective is to reduce the poverty level of the most disadvantaged families. However, our intentions go much further, as we will also be able to improve the economy of local businesses.
Therefore, we will not only contribute to making it easier for the most deprived people to buy fresh produce. We hope the support we give local businesses, that have been affected by the crisis will also be able to continue their business.