28 refugee families have participated in the Oportunidad500 program promoted by the Association of Microtowns of Catalonia to welcome refugees in towns with less than 500 inhabitants. This is a pilot test that began in October 2022. Ninety people have taken part in the program, 47 of them children, from countries such as Colombia, Honduras, Morocco or Ukraine.
One of the participants, Monica Ovalle, a Colombian who arrived in Barcelona in 2021, explained that settling in Pujalt (Anoia) has been a "new opportunity for our lives." Xavier Camps, from the Micropueblos people care sector, highlighted that, except for some Ukrainian families, they have reached 100% reception.
Monica Ovalle and Johnn Serna are a couple and fled Colombia as a result of a violent conflict and settled in Barcelona. The two of them and their two children lived in a room on one floor. Since they have been in Pujalt, Ovalle comments that they have gained "independence", especially their children, since each one has their own room and a space to study.
They have also gained "security and peace of mind," she notes. "Pau", Serna adds that she has achieved a work contract in the town hall of the same town thanks to the Oportunidad500 program.
The Association of Microtowns of Catalonia interviewed 380 families and finally 28 were selected that have been welcomed by 44 municipalities in Catalonia. For twelve months, each of the town councils has offered a full-time work contract subsidized by the SOC and the collaboration of the Department of Equality and Feminisms, in addition to providing affordable rent to families. Of all the participants, five people have returned to Ukraine, while eight will start a new job shortly and eleven in the coming months. For this reason, the association is now working to extend the program for another year.
The person responsible for caring for the people of Micropueblos and the ideologist of the program, Xavier Camps, has indicated that it has served to "generate trust, affection and respect for the participating people and the territory", since until now the model was to host it in large cities like Barcelona, he comments.
"We wanted to show that reception can also be provided in the territory," said Camps. In fact, 36% of the participants came from Barcelona or cities in the metropolitan area.
The mayor of Senan (Conca de Barberá, Tarragona), Carme Ferrer, has stated that many refugees arrive in large cities and end up sleeping outdoors. "In our municipalities, no one will ever live on the streets or go hungry," she says.
Three young refugees have also arrived in Senan. "The population has increased by 30 percent," exclaimed the mayor, since there are about fifty people in the town. "It means life, opportunities, vitality. A life has been generated in the municipality that we did not have at this level before," Ferrer remarked.
Both Oriol López, coordinator of Oportunidad500, and Xavier Camps, have insisted that it is a "reproducible" model. They have pointed out that it is a model of reception in the territory due to public policies and in fact, they have published a document explaining the entire program so that other administrations can implement it. At the same time, they work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to spread the initiative beyond Catalonia.
The mayor of Senan has stressed that work has been done "jointly" between the administrations, "it has not been done from an office in Barcelona," she noted, taking into account "the needs of the municipalities and refugees." All those responsible consider it to be a "successful model" and hope it continues.
