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local Friday 8 July 2022

With love and a feeling of responsibility,

Rafael established a foundation which today gives relief and

support to his community

The foundation started as needed to be invested in ceive all the help for free.
an initiative to bring a so- the projects they were try- “This way we can facili-
lution to a social problem ing to carry out. Because of tate and make the quality
that the youth of the area of this, “it got to the point that of life more flexible for our
Saba Basora Noord was ex- we couldn’t come up with kids, and for the parents as
periencing. As he realized the funds like we used to at well.”
how violence was growing, first. We had about 40 kids,
he decided to get to work, maybe more, who we were Rafael had a dream to
and instead of remaining as providing with food, drink, have as many of the neigh-
part of the problem, Rafael almost every day we had borhood kids as possible in
decided to do something activities for them”, Rafael a safe and healthy environ-
positive to help the kids says. ment, where they could
in the neighborhood, and The financial weight be- come after school. “A lot
to save them as much as came bigger, and the of times the kids would
possible from the violence foundation had to start leave school, come home
which abounded around knocking on the doors of and there wasn’t a plate
them at that time. other agencies that re- of food waiting for them.”
ceived the foundation with A lot of times, the lack of
Instead of leaving the solu- open arms and provided parental control meant the
tion in other people’s hands a lot of help. The finan- kids were on the streets.
and waiting for the kids to cial weight became more This dream became a re-
get help, Rafael felt the manageable, and the help ality when the foundation
need and responsibility to gave the opportunity to was able to offer child care
help these kids. “I also have invest more in projects for after school without any
children, and once you see the kids; at the same time it cost. Here the kids come
that the future of these kids gave the foundation finan- after school and receive
is being lost, you think also ing, less drugs compared to from the time they were cial stability and strength to warm food, help with their
about your own children”, before, they started giving very young, they were influ- continue bringing new and homework, and they can
Rafael says, adding that he their support and started enced by their family and wider-reaching projects. partake in various activities
assumed this responsibility believing in the work Rafael their parents – “you have after they finish their home-
with ease. “This communi- was doing. to remember that this is a The strength and financial work. “This is one of the
ty, we all live in it and that Fundacion Centro Famil- neighborhood where you stability helped keep an in- biggest and more beau-
means that what’s positive iar Sabana Basora – Fam- find mothers with three or tegral part of the work that tiful projects that we’ve
for the neighborhood ben- ily Center Sabana Basora four kids who don’t have the foundation does in the been doing for more than
efits all those who live in Foundation – was estab- their fathers at home, which neighborhood. Through a a year”, Rafael expressed.
it. When you live in a safe lished thanks to the feel- means the mothers alone social study carried out in
neighborhood, you have a ing of responsibility that are carrying this responsi- the neighborhood, they This foundation is transmit-
family who also feels safe.” Rafael took into his own bility. It’s a difficult job for also discovered that one ting a beautiful message,
hands, to the love he feels a single mom.” So he real- of the biggest problems is where we can see the
The initiative brought a so- for his neighborhood and ized this was the root of the the financial force of these big help that we can give
lution to the neighborhood, the youth who live in it. “It problem. Rafael, together families. “You have mothers to our island, to our com-
but initially it was not well is something that we our- with his family and neigh- or parents who cannot af- munities, when instead of
received by the neighbors. selves didn’t expect”, Ra- borhood volunteers, came ford childcare for their kids standing aside, we all give
However, once the resi- fael commented. Once up with different projects after school, for example, a bit of ourselves and join
dents of the neighborhood he started working with the in order to strengthen the or who cannot provide the our forces, so that we can
started noticing the good neighborhood youths, he existing work for the youth. support that the children bring solutions and help to
work and good results of carried out a social study in At this point it was decided need for optimal educa- our youth and our commu-
the projects and activities order to find out the reason to engage the parents and tion.” As an effort to solve nities. “If each of us con-
which Rafael was execut- why the youth were getting small children as well, who this, and at least provide tributes and join forces to
ing, which cause there to out of hand in the neigh- also were part of the envi- some relief to the parents, help, no matter who we
be less fighting, less steal- borhood. He realized that ronment surrounding the Rafael decided to carry are talking about, we can
youth. this responsibility on the help our youth to grown in
shoulders of his foundation, a healthy way, physically,
This work became easy, and made this a non-profit, socially and culturally”, Ra-
because there was already meaning that the kids re- fael finished.q
a foundation thanks to the
work that Rafael was al-
ready doing in the neigh-
borhood, work that kept
growing until it became
the foundation that re-
ceived acceptance from
the neighborhood, from
the parents, and the par-
ticipation of the kids in their
various activities. However,
this also resulted in a lot
more expenses, and more