Vacaciones en Paz: Puerto del Rosario welcomes Sahrawi children
1. Key points
Reception held in the plenary chamber of Puerto del Rosario town hall.
The «Vacaciones en Paz» programme brings 98 children from Western Sahara to the Canary Islands this summer, 7 of them to Fuerteventura.
The children stay with Canary host families.
The FECAM federation of municipalities collaborates once again.
2. The news in detail
The plenary chamber of Puerto del Rosario town hall hosted the reception and welcome ceremony for the Sahrawi children of the «Vacaciones en Paz» programme on the morning of Tuesday 21 July, an initiative held every year across the Canary Islands.
The programme allows 98 children from Western Sahara —seven of them in Fuerteventura— to spend the summer with Canary host families. The Canary Islands Federation of Municipalities (FECAM) is again supporting the initiative.
3. Voices and statements
Speakers at the ceremony included the Mayor of Puerto del Rosario, David de Vera; the Island Commissioner for Fuerteventura, Isaí Blanco; the Polisario Front delegate in the Canaries, Alisalem Sidi Zein; the President of the Sahrawi Community, Mohamed Hassena; and the Fuerteventura representative, Juan Valentín Cabrera.
4. Context and background
«Vacaciones en Paz» is a solidarity programme that each summer hosts children from the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf (Algeria), giving them respite from the desert's harsh climate and access to medical check-ups and family life.
5. What it means for Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura once again joins the scheme with seven children this summer, reflecting the solidarity of local families and the island institutions' commitment to the Sahrawi people.
