Plan Fuenlabrada: City of Peace
Municipality of Fuenlabrada
Mayor
Javier Ayala Ortega
Start of Project
17/03/2022
End of Project
to be confirmed
© Francisco Martinez Lanzas. 5 March 2022, Fuenlabrada, Spain- Silent demonstration in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, in the city square.
Overview
Fuenlabrada is a city of 200,000 inhabitants with prior experience in welcoming refugees and migrants and having made significant efforts towards inclusion policies. These efforts comprise the development of intercultural and transversal integration projects, promoting the associations that best represent migrants, to motivate their active civic participation—an EU-funded project called MILMA aimed at enhancing access to employment for nationals and migrants and their participation in the Anti-Rumours Network tackling racism and xenophobia.
Before the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Fuenlabrada had 810 migrant persons residing in the municipality. The government quickly understood that it should prepare for the reception of people escaping the war and drew up a reception and inclusion plan.
The Fuenlabrada: City of Peace Plan has two stages:
First is the reception stage, where services such as registration, schooling, health care, psychological support, language learning, legal advice, and attention to gender violence are provided.
In the second inclusion stage, the municipality assists with employment and training, access to sports and culture, and functional diversity services.
The plan also connects with families who wish to volunteer as a foster home through the La Caixa Foundation, and with the Spanish State's temporary protection information services. The migrants who are residing in the community, including a few Ukrainian migrants, also volunteered to assist the newcomers arriving from Ukraine, and this mobilisation supported the local efforts immensely.
Realised Impact (as of April 2023)
More than 100 Ukrainian people have been welcomed.
50 adults are learning Spanish
3 Spanish language groups for young people have been created
25 Ukrainian volunteers are hosting the newly arrived displaced families
4 psychological support groups have been created
Priority Objectives
Improving migration governance and forced displacement protection
Protecting those most vulnerable
Realising socio-economic inclusion
Supporting reception and advancing community sponsorship initiatives
“The city is what unites us, regardless of where we came from”