Stefan, 38 years old and of Hungarian origin, does not know how long he has been living on the streets of Arrecife. Due to his illness, Stefan does not remember how he arrived on the island or when. "I suffered an epileptic seizure in Madrid and woke up in Lanzarote," he recounts.
This Tuesday, he suffered an aggression by another person who dealt him several kicks to the head before the gaze of a citizen who recorded the situation and publicly denounced it. This is not the first episode of violence he has had to face, even on occasion suffering several robberies.
Thanks to the help and solidarity of the 17-year-old from Lanzarote, Imad Kacha, who cuts his hair and provides him with blankets, clothes, and food, Stefan feels loneliness a little further away.According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) for the year 2022, a total of 28,552 homeless people are attended in accommodation and catering assistance centers in Spain. Of that figure, 28.8% of them became homeless due to the need to start from scratch after arriving from another country and 26.8% because they lost their job. In addition, 59.6% of these people present some depressive symptom.
This Hungarian citizen suffers from epilepsy and his continuous seizures are further aggravated by his problem with alcohol. According to one of his friends, who also lives on the street, during these seizures they have had to help him "pulling out his tongue" to prevent him from suffocating.
An assault for attempted robbery
Regarding the aggression he suffered this Monday, Stefan assures that the aggressor was trying to steal some of his belongings, so he confronted him to leave, at which point the other man hit him with several kicks.
The man declares that people in general treat him well, but he has been robbed, insulted and assaulted on other occasions, in addition to being given dirty looks when some people pass by him.
Given the possibility of receiving help from the Arrecife City Council, Stefan points out that "he has not received much help" and that "one cannot enter with alcoholism problems" into the municipal service. However, the City Council has assured that on several occasions he has been offered the possibility of accessing the municipal shelter, but he has rejected this offer. Likewise, municipal sources have emphasized that it must be the person themselves voluntarily who accesses this service that offers psychological support, shelter, and food.
The selfless help of Imad Kacha, a balm for Stefan
The young barber began at just 16 years old to carry out altruistic actions, the first in November 2025, going to different NGO shelters such as Calor y Café or Fundación Canaria Flora Acoge. The first person protagonist of his videos that he uploads to his Instagram profile was Stefan. "I have done many more acts of help, but I haven't recorded them because I don't do things for fame," he points out in an interview with La Voz.
Imad Kacha explains that, when helping a person, he first visits some areas and tries to talk to people "to start building a bond of trust", chatting with them and cutting their hair. This Wednesday, the young man brought Stefan a coffee, something to eat, clothes, water, blankets, and toilet paper. According to him, Stefan's story has been the one that has impacted him the most. "The first day I saw him we went for a walk through Arrecife to the Puente de las Bolas, the Castillo de San Gabriel and Calle Real because he is not from here and leaves the Open Mall and gets lost," he explains. And it is that upon returning from this walk, Stefan discovered that all his belongings had been stolen.
The family of the young man from Lanzarote is proud of the altruistic actions he performs. "My friends and my family are always supporting me and have never prevented me from doing anything, which is why I've had it easy," he points out.
Imad has his sights set on the present, but also on the future he longs for, to be able to help many more people who haven't been so lucky in life. "What I would like, besides being a barber and being able to live from it, is to found an NGO that helps people who are in this situation, it's my biggest goal," he concludes.
