There are jobs that do not make headlines, that do not appear in flashy statistics, nor are they measured in economic benefits, but which silently sustain the life of an entire community. Today I want to focus on them. I want to talk about the people who, in Lanzarote, work every day for social purposes in all sectors, and express something that we sometimes take for granted and rarely say out loud: thank you.
Thanks to those who accompany elderly people who live alone and turn a visit into a space of dignity. To those who care for women going through situations of violence and find a way to bear the pain without losing hope. To those who work with vulnerable children, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, those experiencing mental health difficulties or social exclusion. Thanks to those on the front lines and also to those who, from management and coordination, make it possible for resources to exist and function.
Working in the social field on a small island like ours has added value. Here we know each other, we share spaces, we meet at schools, at health centers, on the street. The impact of the work is not abstract: it has a name and surnames. And, precisely because of this, the responsibility is greater. Each intervention, each meeting, each designed project directly affects the lives of people with whom we cross paths again the next day.
The social work is not just a profession; it is a way of commitment with the community. It is listening when time is scarce, it is mediating when conflict seems entrenched, it is accompanying long and complex processes, it is supporting emotionally without losing objectivity. It is, on many occasions, working from the scarcity of resources, from overload, from bureaucracy that sometimes suffocates, but without renouncing the vocation of service and the conviction that every small advance counts.
On too many occasions, social work is only made visible when a tragedy occurs or when the data is alarming. However, the true value lies in the everyday: in the hours of listening, in the invisible coordination between professionals, in the reports that justify projects, in the constant search for funding, in the workshops that strengthen families, in the networks that are woven between entities. All of that is not accessory; it is the foundation that prevents many situations from worsening.
In Lanzarote, we have a committed human fabric, in the associative sphere, that understands that social cohesion is not a luxury, but a necessity. When a resource functions adequately, when an entity accompanies with professionalism and humanity, when teams coordinate and join forces, it is not only helping a specific person: the entire community is being strengthened.
That is why this recognition should not be exceptional or occasional. It should be part of our collective culture. To recognize that social work is an investment in well-being, in prevention, in rights, and in social justice. To recognize that caring is also building the future.
I want these words to serve as a sincere gesture of gratitude towards all the people who, from different fields and responsibilities, choose every day to be by the side of those who need it most. Because supporting others requires strength, preparation, and enormous humanity.
The island is not sustained only by infrastructures or economic figures. It is sustained, above all, by committed people who believe in a more just society and work to make it possible. And that, even if it is not always seen, makes the difference.
Thank you for choosing to care. Thank you for choosing to accompany. Thank you for sustaining the invisible.
