News

Andorra Telecom’s SMS Social call has been brought to a close with the awarding of short phone numbers to eight charitable organisations in the country. All the money raised from the text messages sent to these numbers that have been assigned to the NGOs will be used entirely for their social projects with no associated costs.

The renewal of the Social SMS was delayed by a year due to the health emergency caused by COVID-19, prioritising the donations made to the number that was assigned to the Government (828) to finance health-related expenses linked to the pandemic.

Finally, this year it was deemed appropriate to open the call to provide social entities in the country with the chance to receive a short number with which, by means of SMSes sent to the said number, they will be able to raise funds to finance their projects. A total of eight associations displayed interest in this funding channel and all eight have been awarded a number from the range of numbers that Andorra Telecom makes available to social entities in the country on an annual basis.

 

Inés Martí from the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department expressed her gratitude and satisfaction with the interest that this initiative has aroused among social entities. “Apart from representing an economic contribution, it helps to increase the visibility of highly interesting projects carried out by entities with very limited resources”, she explained. Martí also emphasised that “the situation is difficult and complicated for everyone and all the projects submitted have a direct impact on our country, either through specific programmes to improve the quality of life of people in a vulnerable situation or through increased awareness of situations that are occurring around us which we’re working on with organisations at the source, as well as through the recruitment and training of volunteers, one of the most important assets in any society.”

The press conference presented the projects and the related SMS numbers, which are as follows:

TRANA. Number: 601. Word to be sent: “trana”

Project name: “Emotional support following the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other neuromotor disorders.”

A project aimed at everyone diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and other conditions in their initial stage of diagnosis or a flare up of the disease. It aims to make up for the Andorra’s structural lack of psychological support for incurable and degenerative diseases. The project initially intends to support ten people.

Multiple sclerosis can have a major emotional impact on both the affected person and those close to them. The moment of the diagnosis and the first months of living with the disease can be one of the most daunting stages of the life of a person who is affected and can cause fear, anxiety, guilt and turmoil, among other feelings. The project submitted by TRANA involves individualised emotional support to provide psycho-education on the diagnosis and the usual emotional reactions, offering strategies to deal with the stress generated by the situation and detect the emotional symptoms that require a specific intervention or treatment.


Cooperand. Number: 602. Word to be sent: “cooperand”

Project name: “A book, a future”

This is a project to convey values to young people in Andorra. Over the years, Cooperand has held various activities, talks, audiovisuals and craft markets with the presence of young volunteers with the aim of raising the awareness of schoolchildren in Andorra through their own life experiences in the world that lies beyond our borders.

The association has developed a bi-directional project that conveys the experience of the students in the source country to those in the destination. Cooperand also conducts training in the source country and activities which are then transferred to the recipient classrooms by volunteers from the country who mentor them.

The aim of the project is to convey the values of solidarity, cooperation and empathy to young people.


Private Protection Foundation of Andorra. Number: 603. Word to be sent: “fpta”

Project name: “Acompanya’m” (Support me)

The purpose of this programme is to ensure access to services for the psycho-social well-being of the people supported by the Foundation in order to provide global and comprehensive care to those affected so as to improve their health and social and family lives.

The aim is to guarantee a better quality of life within the social and health care they receive from the different public services.

The beneficiaries of this programme are all the people supported by the Foundation. The scheduled activities include a laughter therapy workshop, a sexuality workshop, a memory workshop and other activities such as trips to the cinema and visits to museums.


Andorran Red Cross. Number: 604. Word to be sent: “creuroja”

Project name: “Botiga Solidària (Charity Shop)

The Botiga Solidària is a service designed to give continuity to the different resources that the Red Cross has deployed in recent months as a result of the situation due to the lockdown and the spread of the epidemic caused by COVID-19. This service is aimed at everyone at risk or in a situation of social exclusion.

The extension of the ERTOS (equivalent to the furlough scheme) and the downturn in economic activity have demonstrated the importance of maintaining a resource that can alleviate the family economy and make it easier for the most disadvantaged family units to maintain dignified lives.


Andorran Association of Rare Diseases (AMMA in its Catalan initials). Number: 605. Word to be sent: “amma”

Project name: “Illumination of the iconic building on World Rare Diseases Day”

At 7:00 pm on 29 February the commemorative event of World Rare Diseases Day was held and included the illumination of the Casa de la Vall and a musical performance.

With this initiative by AMMA, Andorra joined a global initiative as a country that gives support and visibility to rare diseases, and which features on the list of participants. This action also seeks to sensitise public institutions and society and raise their awareness of these diseases.

The aim of the initiative was to create maximum visibility, awareness and interest with regard to rare diseases.


Gossos. Number: 607. Word to be sent: “gossos”

Project name: “Veterinary aid and a food bank for pets belonging to families without financial resources.”

With the aid they receive through the Social SMS, families with limited financial resources will obtain help to meet the basic food and veterinary needs of their dogs.

Unfortunately, there are families in the country living in a precarious state, even more so in the health situation we’re experiencing. This coverage will be provided by Gossos to pay for the expenses stemming from basic food and health service needs.


Aigua de Coco (Coconut Water) Number: 608. Word to be sent: “coco”

Project name: “Fight against child mortality by reducing child malnutrition in southern Madagascar.”

The Andorran Agua de Coco Association forms part of the Agua de Coco network that is also present in Spain, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Cambodia and Madagascar.

The project submitted is managed each year by Agua de Coco Andorra and its local counterpart Bel Avenir and it forms part of the bilateral cooperation strategy.

Madagascar suffers from chronic malnutrition as a result of its poverty and minimal development. 41% of its children suffer from chronic malnutrition while 16% suffer from acute malnutrition.

The goals of the project include implementing nutritional treatment and monitoring, creating a nutritional census for the comparative assessment of the children’s state of health and raising awareness of the most common diseases that cause malnutrition and measures to prevent it.

The association also carries out outstanding outreach and awareness-raising work in our country. Two activities are conducted that seek to make society aware of the needs and situations of the population. An outreach effort is also made through the association’s social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram), which have significant numbers of followers.


Cooperation Association for Local Development (CDL in its Catalan initials). Number: 609. Word to be sent: “cdl”

Project name: “Sustainable and Solidarity Roses”

The association has designed the project with the aim of raising funds for the projects it is developing in Burkina Faso and Andorra. The association develops educational projects in partnership with the local authorities and strives to ensure that each person in each place can live with their own resources while enhancing their skills.

CDL is developing projects here in Andorra to raise awareness and help the most disadvantaged people. One example of these initiatives is the Sustainable and Solidarity Roses project. The sale of paper roses produced by the association at the Sant Jordi Fair, seeking to encourage the consumption of local products and fair trade. The sustainable and solidarity roses symbolise love, as well as justice and sustainability, values that are lacking in the global production and distribution of roses.

With the proceeds from the Social SMS, the association seeks to continue developing projects in our country to increase awareness of sustainability and social justice.