The abertis foundation, in partnership with the Catalonian regional government’s Department of Social Welfare and Family and the Catalonian Down’s Syndrome Foundation (FCSD), today signed an agreement to carry out a pilot project. Under this agreement, people with Down’s syndrome or other intellectual disabilities will help older people with mobility problems in Barcelona’s Trinitat Vella District. More specifically, these individuals will help users of the Department of Social Welfare and Family’s local senior citizen centre to reach this facility from their homes.

The project will be beneficial for everyone involved. The young people providing assistance will boost their self-esteem and have a greater sense of responsibility while the older people will receive vital assistance to avoid isolation, foster socialization and take part in the activities on offer at the centre.

The programme will be supervised by professionals from the FCSD and the Department of Social Welfare and Family, who will be responsible for the necessary training and monitoring during this pilot project. The abertis foundation, within the framework of its strategic social responsibility plan, is fully committed to this initiative, which underlines its commitment to the society and regions of the countries in which the abertis group operates. Under the agreement, the project will initially be carried out for one year at the Trinitat Vella senior citizen centre in Barcelona.

The abertis foundation, again in tandem with the Catalonian Down’s Syndrome Foundation, is also supporting the "Cooperante Vial" ("Road Assistant") project. Young people with Down’s syndrome and other intellectual disabilities involved in this initiative monitor road safety around schools in Barcelona.