ELFAC Secretary General Raul Sanchez gives speech on how to make a family friendly municipality
Last night, FANUCOVA (Federación de Asociaciones de Familias Numerosas de la Comunidad Valenciana) held its Second Gala Awards for Large Families. The event, which was inaugurated by the mayor of Valencia, Maria Jose Catalá and the second vice president and councilor of Social Services, Susana Camarero, took place at the Palacio de la Exposición de Valencia. At this event FANUCOVA encouraged the Generalitat and municipalities to convert the Valencian Community in the first Family Friendly Community of Spain, creating a more family-friendly society and promoting a more friendly culture with families with children.
In this VIII edition the winners were ASINDOWN (Valencian Down Syndrome Association) as an institution for giving visibility, defending and fighting to improve the lives of people with Down Syndrome and their families. To Circo Wonderland as a company for promoting a more affordable leisure to families with more children and Ricardo Mollá, in the individual category for his unconditional and generous support to the most vulnerable and needy large families.
At the ceremony FANUCOVA wanted to make it clear that the sons and daughters are currently a scarce and undervalued considering the birth rate problem that Spain has. And moved the importance of putting back in value to the more than 79,000 large families in the Comunitat. The president of FANUCOVA, Maria Angeles Fabrí said that “families with more children are undoubtedly the key to the future and the solution to the demographic challenge”.
In addition, Fabrí demanded formulas to boost the birth rate, long-term policies, a pact of forces with a project for the future and stressed that “it is not about specific measures but a change of mentality, it is about putting families with children at the center of everything”. But fundamentally Fabrí spoke of regenerating hope and the illusion of forming a family” we must get young people excited about the adventure of motherhood and fatherhood again, that having children becomes fashionable again, that large families are not an endangered asset and for this we need awareness campaigns, quality employment, new formulas for conciliation, facilities for accessing housing… And to achieve this we must all work together, administrations, companies, institutions and the media”.
Raúl Sánchez, expert in family policies and promoter and secretary general of the European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) gave a conference to the more than 80 attendees at the gala on the keys to family policies in Europe and the role of companies and public institutions.
For her part, the second vice-president and councilor for Social Welfare, Susana Camarero, placed special emphasis on the first measures of the new government of the Generalitat, such as the incorporation of fiscal measures to reduce and alleviate the burden on families, such as social deductions in the IRPF or those derived from expenses such as oral health, glasses or contact lenses, among others. And she announced that the Valencian Community will once again celebrate the International Day of the Family on May 15.
The Mayoress of Valencia, Maria José Catalá, highlighted the role of large families and announced that the municipal government has approved, as promised, a 60% IBI rebate for large families in general and 90% for special families, regardless of the cadastral value. The event was closed by the president of the Spanish Federation of Large Families, José Manuel Trigo and the secretary of FANUCOVA, Manuel Tarragona.
