In the UK it’s said that many people are only one pay cheque away from major financial and other problems, and in Spain it can be even worse – and without the help which charities can provide people would be in real dire straights.
Ana Vicente Cuesta, aged 55, is one of many in Spain who can thank the generosity of others. She was born with a degenerative condition which meant a weakness in a femur, gradually getting worse with pain growing ever more intense, until she was unable to walk.
It would have meant a long wait for an operation at Torrevieja Hospital, but a thanks to the generosity of a friend with a cash loan, Ana, who lives in La Regia, near Cabo Roig in Orihuela Costa, was able to have an operation in Quiron Hospital, and for the past two years since, volunteers at the local charity Help at Home have been helping her get mobile again.
Because Ana has been gradually paying back the loan she was unable to the get batteries on her disability scooter replaced and Help at Home have stepped in to buy new ones.
It’s made all the difference to Ana who is now able to get out and about.
Charity president Carmen Perez said: “We are currently looking after about 80 clients with a whole range of needs. Some are just very lonely and are desperate for company, some need a helper to do shopping or take them out occasionally, others need help with more personal things. The need is wide and varied.”
This help at home is provided by just 12 volunteers in the Costa at present and more are urgently wanted. Other volunteers are wanted at the charity’s charity shops in Playa Flamenca and Cabo Roig.
