Last Wednesday, April 8, Marina Molina participated in the round table “Europe on the ground: opportunities of the European Funds in Girona” together with representatives of the Catalan Institute of Water (ICRA) and the Girona Chamber of Commerce.
The event, organized by the Department of Foreign Action and European Union of the Generalitat de Catalunya, raised to all three entities various issues related to their participation in projects financed by European funds.
From the Foundation, Marina spoke about our experience in these programs, which we have been participating since 2012 with the start of the LIFE program.
Social... and environmental projects
The start of the projects financed with European funds came with the MINAQUA PROJECT, which allowed us to test a water reuse system in our truck washing in Montfullà.
Following this line and in the current context of drought emergency, in the last two years a new LIFE program has been promoted from the Laundería of the Foundation, the LIFE Recyclo project, in collaboration with the French company Tree Water, the ICRA and the University of Lyon.
This project, which had three main objectives; the reduction in water consumption, the emission of zero pollution and the promotion of good practices in water management, has carried out the first pilot test of a prototype of wastewater management in Catalonia.
Education and training
The Foundation’s commitment to learning and development is clear. For this reason, it has been decided, over the years, to bet on the line of European educational and training programs Erasmus+.
Thus, the EqualVet project began in 2019, aimed at the training and exercise of technical and transversal skills for people with intellectual disabilities in the cleaning, cooking and gardening sectors. During its three-year duration, the Ramon Noguera Foundation Group collaborated with the VTC Margarita training centers in Italy and the EASPD and TÜV Hellas entities in Belgium.
We also participated in the SEIS projects, focused on training in social entrepreneurship, and non-formal learning, EasyCooking, in which an easy cook recipe book was developed.
Finally, we also promoted the IN4ALL project, where through physical activity and sport and through the exchange of experiences, the well-being and improvement of the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities was promoted
Regional development: a reality
In addition, the aim was to highlight the opportunities now presented to us through the Generalitat and the European ERDF funds for regional development, where the Foundation is developing within the PECT project (Project of Specialization and Territorial Competitiveness) “Girona Sustainable Food System” with different Girona entities an improvement plan for economic, social and environmental sustainability of food production systems throughout the entire value chain of the province of Girona.
Finally, given the growing need for dignified housing for people with intellectual disabilities, we are managing a project funded with Next Generation funds for the construction of residential homes.
All these projects have two main points in common, respect for the territory and the need to give better attention to people with intellectual disabilities.
Thus, as an organization rooted in the territory and people of Girona and Gironès, we move beyond our own social objective, participating in projects that have a positive impact on our environment.
