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Issue 677
Grant a Wish Fun Day Sunday 7th October
north EDITION
roundtownnews.com
05 - 10 october 2012
SEE PAGES 40-41
Important! Due to a national holiday on Friday 12th October the next edition of RTN will be available a day earlier on Thursday 11th October.
Charity in crisis CHURCH CHARITY Caritas is struggling to meet the growing demands on its resources as desperate people appeal for help in Spain’s bitter recession.
Food parcels prepared by Caritas
Along the Costa Blanca branches of the Roman Catholic charity – an international organisation – have become the last port of call for people in need. But as the situation worsens, Caritas branches are launching campaigns for more donors to help fund its “very necessary work”. Figures reveal that by 2010, Caritas was feeding one million people across Spain and earlier this year the charity estimated that 22% of Spanish households were living below the poverty line – twice as many as 2007 – with some 11 million people said to be at risk. It also found nearly a third of families were in difficulty surviving until the end of each month and 600,000 received no income at all. Unemployment is over 25% - in the under 25 age band more than 50% and there are said to be over 30,000 homeless people. Caritas General Secretary Sebastian Mora outlined the situation to the EU. “There are more poor people than last year and they are poorer. “Poverty is more widespread, more intense, more chronic, and it is creating a polarised society in which the gap between the rich and poor is growing – if the walls of social restraint disappear poverty will shoot up.”
by Jack Troughton RTN met with Caritas members in Javea this week to be told the financial situations of many families in the town had become unsustainable – and the numbers of people seeking the charity’s help had soared in 2012. THREAT George Thomas is a member of Caritas in Javea Port, a branch of the charity launched in 2010 when the crisis was already biting. He said: “The financial means of humanitarian organisations are also running out. The threat of having to put an end to aid owing to the lack of finance is hanging over the community.” He explained how Caritas helped people with food and clothing, and also rents and utility bills, “and this help is irrespective of race, colour or creed.” He said two years ago the charity started in Javea Port when it was clear there were a great many families in need. “The problem in places like Javea can be disguised because of its large expat population. “It is primarily the Spanish, the immigrant population and illegal immigrants who need our help.” Continued on page 4