- Fundación Fontilles, Fundación Jóvenes y Desarrollo, World Vision International and the Order of Malta are the NGOs selected this year.
- In 2024, Ferrovial’s social programs will benefit nearly 14,000 people in Spain, Africa and Asia.
Ferrovial, one of the world’s leading infrastructure companies, will allocate more than 480,000 euro in 2024 to fund Social Infrastructure and Social Action in Spain projects that will benefit more than 14,000 people.
This year, Ferrovial will support Fundación Fontilles, Fundación Jóvenes y Desarrollo, World Vision International and the Orden of Malta in Spain to improve access to drinking water in developing countries in Asia and Africa and upgrade food pantries in Spain.
The agreements with these foundations were signed at a ceremony in Madrid that was attended by Ferrovial Chairman, Rafael del Pino, and CEO, Ignacio Madridejos, as well as Fundación Fontilles President Juan Lorca Salañer, Fundación Jóvenes y Desarrollo President Luis Manuel Moral Lamela, World Vision Foundation trustee Javier García-Perrote, and Order of Malta President Aline Finat y Riva.
Since their inception in 2005, the company’s social programs in Spain, Asia and Africa have benefited over 639,000 people. The initiatives, to which close to 11 million euro have been allocated to date, highlight the company’s goal of having a positive impact on communities and the environment, as well as contributing to the attainment of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Social Infrastructure: On the move for water
According to the United Nations, more than a quarter of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water and nearly 50% lacks a safe, hygienic sanitation system. Faced with this challenge, Ferrovial’s ‘Social Infrastructure’ program has been supporting water and sanitation infrastructure construction, rehabilitation and improvement projects in vulnerable communities in Africa, Latin America and Asia for fifteen years, in collaboration with Spanish NGOs. In addition to funding the work, the company encourages its employees to participate as volunteers by contributing their technical expertise to bring these cooperation projects to a successful conclusion.
World Vision International is one of the organizations selected this year to install four solar-powered water supply systems at three primary schools and a health center in Lupane, Zimbabwe. In addition, water fountains will be installed for nearby communities and three kitchen gardens will be established in schools, benefiting 3,250 people.
Another of the projects selected this year is an initiative presented by Fundación Jóvenes y Desarrollo to implement solar-powered water supply systems in the villages of Akaïde and Kpindi, in Togo. Each village will be equipped with two systems that include a water tower and a distribution system with fountains located within a one-kilometer radius of each well to supply 3,560 people.
Fundación Fontilles, a Spanish NGO that has been operating for over 120 years, will build two wells and a reverse osmosis water treatment plant in the Indian town of Chilakalapalli, benefiting 5,248 people. The project also includes the construction of 83 new houses, 97 latrines, a sewer and riverbank protection.
Social Action in Spain: On the move for food
Ferrovial has also announced the project selected as part of its program to improve food pantry infrastructure. This corporate social responsibility program was created by the company in response to the economic crisis and it has improved access to food for more than 80,000 people.
This year, food pantries in the Madrid districts of San Blas and Tetuán have been selected for refurbishment. The project, promoted by the Order of Malta in Spain, will benefit 1,862 people per year and includes the purchase of new equipment and appliances, replacement of the kitchen floor, replacement of the electrical and gas installation, adaptation of the toilets for people with reduced mobility, and the purchase of new furniture.
