- Social Value Award provides 20 people with physiotherapy, rehabilitation and training treatments this year
Thus, the head of the Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado, and Dinorah Darias, the solidarity godmother of the project in Cepsa, got to know the program 'EMejórate: therapeutic intervention plan for people with multiple sclerosis' first hand from the president of the Association, Marino Álvarez, and its general coordinator, Isidro Santos, at the headquarters of the Association, located in La Orotava.
The project, based on individualized physical therapy, and physical conditioning, has as beneficiaries 20 users of the association affected by multiple sclerosis, who are receiving physiotherapy, rehabilitation and training treatments during the current year, provided by professionals, both in specialized centers and at home.
During the visit, Belén Machado highlighted the "great work being done by the Pichón Trail Project to improve the quality of life of those affected and to make this disease more visible, through numerous intervention projects such as the award-winning one, and many others of a very diverse nature, or the participation in races with hundreds of people, members, supporters and users of the organization running for multiple sclerosis."
"The support they give through micro-projects, with direct aid to users with limited economic resources, is also very remarkable, which is essential for many families, who find in Pichón Trail the support and attention to very specific needs not covered by any welfare service," said the head of Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands.
In the words of Marino Álvarez, "For us, this award is a recognition of our work and trajectory and, most importantly, it allows us to continue accompanying, empowering, and improving the quality of life of people living with multiple sclerosis and all this with the binder of optimism."
"Thanks to this award, we have been able to continue the physical therapy and physical conditioning support we have been providing for 2023, in addition to taking on new ones. These Fundación Cepsa awards carry out important work in support of third sector entities; without this aid, many of them, such as ours, would find it difficult to carry out the service and assistance work they provide."
Multiple sclerosis is considered the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults. Each person affected by it may experience different symptoms and affectations, so a therapeutic plan must be individualized. Therefore, the treatments they receive are designed to address the specific needs of each individual.
The therapies applied help them improve spasticity (one of the most common and characteristic symptoms of the disease), mobility, coordination, muscle strength and functional skills.
The entity received an award in the 'Special Employee Awards' category, granted by Cepsa professionals from among the projects shortlisted for this purpose by the various juries in the areas where the Social Value Awards are held (Canary Islands, Madrid, province of Huelva and Campo de Gibraltar, Portugal, and Colombia).
Social Value Awards
These annual awards, which began in 2005, are one of the stand-out initiatives of Fundación Cepsa. They are held in the Canary Islands, Madrid, Huelva, Campo de Gibraltar, Portugal, and Colombia, and are aimed at supporting disadvantaged people, groups and sectors, in addition to promoting solidarity values by involving Cepsa's professionals, who sponsor the projects presented by the non-profit organizations.
A total of 69 projects have been carried out to date in the Canary Islands thanks to these awards, with a contribution of around €650,000 from Fundación Cepsa.
The 2023 call will begin on September 7.
