- Changing Lives, a project of the Endesa Foundation in collaboration with the Integra Foundation, has benefited 3,055 people experiencing social exclusion in Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Palma de Mallorca, since its launch in 2016. This year it launches for the first time in Tenerife.
- In this eighth edition, the programme aims to train and support at least 415 vulnerable people to help them join the labour market.
- The opening ceremony took place today at Endesa's headquarters and was attended by the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
The Endesa Foundation is launching the eighth edition of Changing Lives, an initiative it has been conducting in collaboration with Fundación Integra since 2016, through which it accompanies and prepares people in vulnerable situations to aid in their reintegration into the world of work.
The event took place this morning at Endesa's headquarters in Madrid. It was attended by the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the Chairman of Endesa and the Endesa Foundation, Juan Sánchez-Calero, the Chief Executive Officer of Endesa, José Bogas, the Executive Chairman of the Fundación Integra, Ana Botella, and the General Manager of the Endesa Foundation, María Malaxechevarría, who were accompanied by volunteers and beneficiaries of this project.
Changing Lives takes place in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Zaragoza, Palma de Mallorca and, this year for the first time, in Tenerife. Thanks to this programme, a total of 3,055 people have been given a new chance at life, and this year it is expected to serve at least 415 people. In addition, it will serve beneficiaries of previous editions who need it. The participants in the project come from different NGOs, public and private social institutions and social services from different municipalities.
This initiative also has the support of Endesa employees, who participate as volunteers to help by give training workshops on different professional topics, such as how to write a CV, how to prepare for an interview and pass it successfully. This way, beneficiaries can acquire the tools and skills they need to re-enter the labour market and set their lives on a new path. A total of 275 Endesa volunteers have already been part of Changing Lives since its first edition.
María José, one of the Endesa volunteers who collaborates in this programme, stressed that "in the reinforcement schools, the beneficiaries are able to enhance what they already have, such as confidence in themselves and their abilities. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you of that, and that's where we come in as volunteers. With help, you can achieve anything. That's the magic of volunteering – you never know where it's going to go, but you know that the impact is going to be positive."
Then it was time for the real stars of the show, the beneficiaries of Changing Lives. Edurne defined herself as "a middle-class woman with a teaching job. Because of a series of bad decisions, I ended up on the street. I was offered to bring in drugs from Peru and ended up in prison with a sentence of six years and one day. At Changing Lives, I found the help I needed.
For Edurne, this step was vital because, as she explains, "everything I have is thanks to my work, the help and support I have been given. I seized this opportunity because getting a job was my dream. The feeling of opening the fridge and seeing it full of food that I could buy thanks to my own effort makes me feel very proud of myself."
After Edurne came the testimony of Petronel, who participated in the last edition of Changing Lives. He came from Romania in 2003 and, like many migrants, his beginnings were not easy. He started out with a job picking grapes, then ended up in Madrid with a job as a street sweeper. However, the pandemic cut short his plans in life: "I lost my job and ended up sleeping on the street. I had been going from shelter to shelter until I heard about the Changing Lives program," he recalls.
Petronel is deeply grateful for this initiative that has restored his hope and provided him with, in his words, "the tools I needed to start the job search and get a job. Now I feel useful, happy, full of joy. It's the job of my dreams."
The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, highlighted how "volunteering has become the salary of the soul for so many people willing to help those in need". Almeida noted that "the testimonies of Edurne and Petronel show us that life can change in an instant for all of us. There are many people who need help in order to improve and progress. Hopefully the time will come when we will stop hearing these testimonies because that will mean that society no longer needs our help."
For the Chairman of Endesa and the Endesa Foundation, Juan Sánchez-Calero, "Changing Lives is one of the programmes that we are most proud of. This shared commitment to improving the lives of the participants and providing the tools they need to do so perfectly represents the spirit and work of our Foundation. The numbers are growing, but this programme is not about numbers, but about supporting people in their struggle on the way to feeling like part of society again."
The Chief Executive Officer of Endesa, José Bogas, stressed that "both at the Foundation and at Endesa itself, we firmly believe that in order to build a better society it is essential to work on equal opportunities, that no talent is lost and that no one feels excluded". Bogas stressed that Changing Lives is "an emblematic project that contributes to providing employment opportunities and progress to people who have not had it easy. We started with a pilot program in 2016 and have already been able to help more than 3,000 people find a job."
The Executive Chairman of Fundación Integra, Ana Botella, thanked Endesa and its Foundation for their firm commitment to this project and pointed out that the best way to transform society is through employment. For Botella, "Changing Lives has meant a real change in the lives of more than 3,000 people who were in very complicated situations and who, thanks to a job, have managed to get ahead with their families and leave behind a past marked by exclusion."
About Fundación Endesa
The Endesa Foundation was founded in 1998 as an expression of Endesa's social commitment to respond to the needs of the community where it carries out its activities, thus contributing to the development of society.
On a daily basis, it works to enhance its social footprint through projects to promote quality education that meets today's challenges, to ensure that the most vulnerable have a future of opportunities, to promote the culture and art of our country and to create a more sustainable world by caring for the environment that surrounds us.
For more information, please visit: www.fundacionendesa.org
About the Integra Foundation
The Integra Foundation works to achieve the integration of people in social exclusion and with disabilities into the labour market. These include women who are victims of violence, people with disabilities, young people on probation, homeless people, prisoners and ex-prisoners, long-term unemployed, or ethnic minorities. It also acts as a link between institutions, NGOs and companies willing to offer an employment opportunity to these people. Since 2001, the Foundation has secured more than 22,500 jobs. For further information, go to: www.fundacionintegra.org