EL CASAL DELS INFANTS DE RAVAL

Organizational Vision

El Casal dels Infants del Raval ("The Raval Children's House") works to achieve improved and sustainable conditions in the quality of life of the marginalized and most vulnerable young people in the “Barrio del Raval” (a neighborhood of Barcelona). Among the organizations´ activities are the support of children and young people in their schooling process, collaborating with the schools in developing new working models, and supporting unaccompanied immigrant minors (more than 50% of the young people the organization works with are immigrants).

Due to the current situation in the neighborhood, the organization has developed a series of projects that focus on this population that is at risk of being marginalized from the society and offers them an increased chance for future success.

Citizen Base Strategy

El Casal dels Infants del Raval was founded based on the principles of a nationwide campaign to donate 0,7% of GDP to eradicate poverty in developing countries. El Casal applies the same concept at a local level. The organization engages the small businesses of “Raval” and encourages them to reinvest, not in other countries, but within their own community. They propose that each small business donate 0,7% of their income for one month to the organization. In this process, the small businesses are indirectly helping to communicate the objectives of the campaign.

Local businesses whose help is solicited are directly affected, on a daily basis, by the situations of “marginalization” taking place in the neighborhood and subsequent crime and under-education of community residents. The possibility of working with an organization in the same neighborhood as where the company does its work helps them visualize their efforts and help almost immediately; at the same time that the organization must demonstrate its own efforts, with specific results, to the companies that participate.

In this way, Casal del Raval achieves not only the financial help from the businesses but the involvement from the whole local community, sensitizing the workers and clients of the companies, and constructing a solid citizen base which the organization is continuously working with.