The 5th edition of the EDP Solidaria program is already underway. 18 projects from Asturias, Madrid, País Vasco, Aragón, Andalucía and Galicia will receive a total of 600,000 euros to boost and develop their initiatives, which are centered in four areas: social exclusion, care for elderly people, rural development and energy efficiency.

Through this EDP Foundation program, entities will be able to develop and increase their initiatives’ projections, which will benefit more than 34,000 people. For that purpose, they will have the collaboration and supervision of volunteers from the energy company.

The projects have been presented at Laboral Center of Arts and Industrial Creation, in Gijón, at an act attended by the councilor for Social Rights and Welfare of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, Melania Álvarez; the president of EDP Spain and its Foundation, Manuel Menéndez; the managing director of EDP Spain, Rui Teixeira; the director general of the EDP Foundation, Vanda Martins; managers of the energy company, and the representatives of the selected projects.

To the present edition, 75 projects from all over Spain were presented, among which the following have been selected:

Asturias

• CESPA Foundation – Proyecto Hombre: Intervention Program with Minors and Young People, Reciella.
• Fundación Acción contra el Hambre: Sustainable Asturias, a project for job creation and entrepreneurship within the framework of the circular economy.
• Parkinson Asturias Association: Support for caregivers of Parkinson's patients.
• ES Retina Asturias: "ConTICgo" training platform for digital training and counseling.
• Fundación Ayuda en Acción: Ribera L@b, a laboratory of opportunities to break the digital divide and promote social cohesion.
• Asturias Acoge: Tecleando Saberes, an initiative for the development of skills and knowledge of ex-foster young people and immigrant women.
• AFESA/FEAFES: support for the independent living of people with mental illness.

Madrid

• Down Syndrome Madrid Foundation: "Work entrepreneurship, eliminating barriers".
• Apostólicas CJ - Comunidad de Obras Sociales: intergenerational program for the empowerment of women over 60 years of age.
• Tomillo Foundation: "Smart Cities", a proposal for social inclusion and employability of young people.
• Socaire: "Energy EducAcción for Entrevías: a conscious neighborhood is an efficient neighborhood".

País Vasco

• Cáritas Diocesana de Bilbao: "Lurra in love", which consists of launching a social economy company in the agri-food sector as a tool for social and labor insertion.
• Fundación Fondo Formación: support for the social and labor insertion of people over 45 years of age.

Aragón

• Medicus Mundi: space for citizen participation and transformation based on energy efficiency and circular economy.

• CEDEMAR - Jóvenes Dinamizadores Rurales: young people against rural depopulation in Aragón.

• ECODES - Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo: promotion of green and social employment for people in vulnerable situations.

Galicia

• ACEESCA – Asociación de Personas con Diversidad Intelectual: project to improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities.

Andalucía

• AFIM21 Association: neuroeducation and play as a tool for inclusion and socio-educational development of children at risk of exclusion in vulnerable neighborhoods.

During the act, the EDP Foundation awarded a prize to each entity for their commitment to improve the quality of life of people. Moreover, the Parkinson Asturias Association received the award for the most innovative initiative, after a popular voting on the previous days.

EDP Foundation Academy

The entities participating in the present edition of EDP Solidaria, as well as all the entities that have done it since 2015, will be able to participate in the second edition of the EDP Foundation Academy, which will being next March. It consists of an on-site and online formation that expands the entities’ knowledge on areas such as innovation, finances, energy efficiency, networking, legal aspects or social responsibility.

Also in March, the registration period to participate in the EDP Solidaria 2020 edition will open. Between March 1 and 31, interested entities will be able to formalize their application. The EDP Foundation will allocate 600,000 euros to the selected projects.

This program is now in its fifth edition, consolidating its position as one of the EDP Foundation's most important initiatives. Since it was launched in 2015, EDP Solidaria has supported 85 projects in Spain, to which it has allocated a total of 2.5 million euros.

EDP Solidaria is an initiative promoted by the EDP Foundation that aims to contribute to improving the quality of life of the people in the areas where EDP operates, by supporting sustainable projects that contribute to improving the environment, reducing inequalities and advancing in the construction of a fairer, more equitable and responsible society.

EDP Foundation

The EDP Foundation's mission is to reinforce the EDP Group's commitment to society in the geographical areas where it operates. Specifically, its areas of action are those social, cultural, environmental, educational and research-related issues that pursue a common sustainable development.