The NGO Sonrisas Canarias has taken stock of last year. As in the previous one, the municipalities of Tacoronte and La Laguna continue to lead the social assistance provided. A total of 813 and 822 families, respectively, derived from both municipalities were served as users during 2021.
The total number of family units to which help was provided last year on the Island was 2,595 (12,702 people) compared to 2,893 in 2020 (14,320), in the middle of the pandemic, and 2,010 (9,949) in 2019, before the Covid-19. It increased by 44% in 2020 compared to 2019 and decreased by 11% between that and 2021.
Luis Febles, founder and alma mater of the NGO based in the Valleseco neighborhood of the capital, highlights “the more than 800 emergency interventions with so-called SOS in both the north and the south.” It values the work of the volunteers: “Caring people who have made it possible to reach the calls for help from families at high risk of precariousness within 48 hours.”
The NGO has served individuals and families in 15 of the 31 municipalities of Tenerife. From the Metropolitan Area, from the North and from the South. In addition to Tacoronte –especially given its size– and La Laguna, Santa Cruz (431) and Güímar (126) stand out. A simple X-ray but shows the level of need from the work of one of the few NGOs that works throughout the Island. The forecasts for this year are bad, mainly due to the persistence of the pandemic, at least in the first semester.
Febles recalls that “we have left a space for donations to those affected by the La Palma volcano where we carry more than 4,000 kilos of various products, from food to hygiene, donated by companies, schools and shopping centers.” Sonrisas Canarias also ends today, Three Kings Day, its now traditional delivery of toys for children from vulnerable families. The volunteers, turned into royal pages for a few days, have reached 1,300 (100 more than in 2021) from 600 families to deliver more than 5,000 toys.
