Her Majesty Queen Sofía presides over the Fundación MAPFRE Social Awards Ceremony
Fundación MAPFRE presented its Social Awards on Tuesday 8 October in Madrid, the aim of which is to recognise individuals and institutions that have carried out outstanding actions for the benefit of society in the scientific, cultural and social fields.
The ceremony was presided over by Her Majesty Queen Sofía and was attended by Elena Rodríguez, Secretary General for Inclusion, and Antonio Huertas, Chairman of MAPFRE and Fundación MAPFRE.
Antonio Huertas emphasised that the purpose of these awards is to send out messages of solidarity to the world and testimonies of ‘people and institutions that do not give up, that whatever the environment, they were, are and will be there as long as they continue to be necessary’. He also highlighted the ‘importance and necessity’ of the work of Fundación MAPFRE and all types of public and private institutions that work together to combat inequalities and help people with an inclusive approach and action.
‘We have never been so necessary and our action has never been so urgent’, said the Chairman of Fundación MAPFRE, who also referred to the armed conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. ‘What we are experiencing these days is a lot of poverty, generations of children and young people who have been robbed of their childhood to replace it with the aftermath of war. Battles always leave many losers. We are squandering millions of euros that we should be allocating to the progress and development of humanity’.
Núria Espert, award for a lifetime's professional work
Núria Espert (Hospitalet de Llobregat, 1935) is one of Spain's most outstanding actresses and theatre directors, having participated in more than 80 theatrical productions, a dozen feature films and nine operas. Now, she has received the award for a long and brilliant professional career and for the various social and humanitarian causes she has supported. Among others, her contribution to mitigating the economic and social impact of COVID-19, her donation to raise funds for the victims of the Cumbre Vieja de La Palma volcano, her active role in campaigns for social and cultural inclusion and her fierce defence of freedom of expression and artistic freedom, being an example and instructor of the new generations of actors and directors who now stand out in the world of theatre and art.
During her speech, the actress stressed that this recognition ‘rewards in me the work of my entire professional life, and at the same time, without knowing it, it is rewarding many more people’. She also thanked her mother, husband, daughters and granddaughter for their support, without forgetting ‘the public, who have followed and accompanied my growth, forgiven my mistakes and enjoyed my successes with emotion’. Espert, who left her native Hospitalet at the age of 12 to take to the stage in Madrid and around the world, concluded her review of her career by explaining that ‘in the middle of this path that does not exist, someone has put a chair. It looks very comfortable, thank you very much, but for the moment I'm not going to sit down’.
Three successful projects
Fundación MAPFRE received a total of 1,049 nominations from various countries for these awards, with a total prize money of 160,000 euros. Of these, the winners were Moda re- (Best Project for its Social Impact); Special Olympics (Best Entity for its Social Trajectory), and the family business Joselito (Best Initiative in the Agricultural Sector).
Moda Re-
Fundación MAPFRE has awarded Moda re-, a pioneering Caritas project in the field of textile recycling and reuse, which promotes sustainable solutions that integrate the circular economy and also promote social inclusion.
Moda re- is a non-profit social initiative cooperative that manages the complete cycle of used clothing, from collection to recycling, donation and sale. With more than 44 million kilos of clothing collected annually in more than 8,200 containers and 170 points of sale in more than 100 Spanish cities, Moda re- not only offers accessible clothing, but also generates employment for more than 1,400 people, 55% of whom are at risk of social exclusion. In addition, its work enables it to reduce CO2 emissions and water consumption, thus reinforcing its commitment to environmental protection.
During his speech, Manuel Bretón, president of Cáritas, stressed that Moda re- ‘promotes a circular economy model that not only gives a second life to used clothes, but also creates employment and social reintegration opportunities for people in vulnerable situations’. Since its birth in 2018, the entity has already created 1,500 jobs, reflecting ‘the unity and solidarity of our communities and the ability of the Caritas Confederation to generate significant impact at the national level. [...] Moda re- is therefore a living testimony of what can be achieved by uniting efforts and working towards the same goal inside and outside Caritas’.
Special Olympics
Fundación MAPFRE has also recognised the work of Special Olympics, an international sports organisation present in more than 190 countries, which for more than 50 years has been working to transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through sport and to help break down stereotypes. This organisation has the largest volunteer staff in the world, holds its World Winter and Summer Games every two years, where more than 7,000 athletes participate, and annually organises more than 200 programmes and 100,000 inclusive sporting events, in which they encourage the participation of people with and without intellectual disabilities.
David Evangelista, president of Special Olympics Europa Eurasia, accepted the award accompanied by Valentina García Lluch, an athlete from Special Olympics Spain. Evangelista said that Special Olympics is not only about ‘promoting sport, but also about building a fairer society, where diversity is celebrated and barriers are broken down’. He also dedicated the award ‘to each of the athletes who have shown that, with courage and determination, all adversity, stigma and discrimination can be overcome’. During her speech, Valentina García recalled the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin in 2023, where she won a bronze medal and where ‘every training, every fall and every rise was worth it. [...] Sport helped me to discover that, with effort and dedication, the limits we think we have only exist in our minds’.
Joselito
Fundación MAPFRE has awarded the family business Joselito the Prize for the Best Initiative in the Agriculture and Livestock Sector. The company has positioned itself as a benchmark in the national and international agri-food sector for its commitment to sustainable development and care for livestock. In the social sphere, the company, based in Guijuelo (Salamanca), has offered support to more than 1,000 families in rural areas, providing work, housing, private healthcare and quality training, all to ensure their future on the farms and production plants.
During his speech, José Gómez, president of Joselito, highlighted tradition, sustainability and respect for the environment as the driving forces behind the well-being of the environment and the quality of its product, and in this sense, he indicated that ‘taking care of nature today with sustainable management is our way of ensuring a better future because what we invest now preserves the natural wealth and guarantees the well-being of generations to come’. The president of the Extremadura company also referred to some of the most innovative initiatives, such as soil regeneration with indigenous microorganisms and the use of regenerative grazing, as well as the reduction of the carbon footprint with projects such as ‘E-Compost’ and ‘Low Carbon’, with which the family company fulfils one of its mottos, ‘to regenerate nature is to regenerate life’.
