The "La Destila" classroom for the elderly in Arrecife could be forced to cease its activities due to lack of financial aid. The center's director, Mónica Salvatierra, points out that since 2015 they have been in "a critical situation" because they do not receive "any subsidy".
"Social Services paints the classroom for us and anything that we have broken. But the truth is that we don't have any subsidies or financial aid. Everything is bureaucracy. Request and present. We submitted a request for materials, I don't know if it was 2,000 or 2,500 euros, but since last year we have been waiting for a small subsidy of 3,000 euros from the Cabildo. Before the pandemic we had a stall for our crafts, but this year, due to the fees, we have not set it up", explains Salvatierra. In addition, "the vice president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Mr. Román Rodríguez, came to the classroom" and they presented him with "a report and a subsidy" because he told them that "yes" he was "going to help" them. But it hasn't been like that.
In addition, Salvatierra points out that part of the problem is the lack of knowledge about how to carry out procedures through the internet. The "bureaucracy and paperwork has to be done online", explains the director, who adds that the women of the center do not know "how to do it alone" and feel helpless. "I have a lot of help from my family. But I'm not constantly online. If it weren't for my daughters, who help me, I wouldn't be able to do it", says the director. "We applied for a subsidy from the Cabildo and the City Council, but we were late. That appears in the BOE and is announced, but you have to be aware and we are older", she adds.
The center is made up of 35 women, aged "between 40 and 90 years old", who contribute an annual fee of 25 euros. "We have sports classes, painting classes. Coincidentally, this Friday an exhibition that we have done of oil painting ends. Very good. There is tremendous potential in the classroom. There are also crafts and weaving workshops. All the teachers are volunteers. Now, coincidentally, in December our sports classes end and we cannot finance a monitor", concludes Salvatierra.
