Category: Volunteering

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COIDAMUXÍA: intergenerational volunteering to combat loneliness among older people in rural Muxía

Today, 31 October 2025, we officially close COIDAMUXÍA, an intergenerational volunteering initiative promoted by the Muxía Council to reduce unwanted loneliness among older people and strengthen community cohesion. The programme, co-financed by the Regional Government of Galicia, is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed by the European Union (NextGenerationEU) and ran from 1 August to 31 October 2025, providing a local, evidence-based response to a growing social challenge in rural Galicia.

The challenge: unwanted loneliness in rural areas

Unwanted loneliness affects a significant proportion of the elderly population in Spain, particularly in rural areas where distance, the loss of family networks and limited resources make it difficult to access regular support. The design of COIDAMUXÍA is based precisely on this local and national diagnosis, which highlights the persistence of situations of prolonged loneliness and the need for specific home and community support in areas such as Muxía.

What we did at COIDAMUXÍA

The project combined home support and intergenerational meetings with a participatory methodology. Among the actions implemented, the following stand out:

  • Recruitment and selection of volunteers, in coordination with local social organisations.
  • Specialised training for volunteers (designing solidarity initiatives, emotional support). This training was designed with a practical approach and based on real-life cases.
  • Intergenerational pairing (senior–young volunteer pairs and an elderly beneficiary) for weekly, flexible and personalised companionship: conversation, therapeutic walks and connection with other elderly people.
  • Intergenerational encounters and design thinking dynamics so that volunteers themselves could devise pilot initiatives tailored to the real needs identified in homes.

This architecture made it possible to offer regular, measurable human support, with continuous monitoring and final evaluation based on indicators of impact on older people, volunteers and the community.

Who participated

COIDAMUXÍA was designed to accompany independent elderly people who need occasional support and to train senior and young volunteers in care and community revitalisation. The design framework envisaged 20 older people and 8 volunteers.

In practice, a key piece of information about participation that we would like to highlight is that five of the eight volunteers came from abroad. This diversity enriched the bonds that were formed and reinforced our conviction that the participation of migrants as volunteers is a strategic asset for community well-being, inclusion and employability in the care ecosystem.

Achievements and value added

Although COIDAMUXÍA has been a pilot project, its impact has resulted in concrete progress and solid foundations for continuity and replication:

  1. Stable intergenerational support network: weekly contact and active listening improved the emotional wellbeing and social participation of the elderly people receiving support.
  2. Trained and empowered volunteers: volunteers strengthened their skills in care, communication, first aid and small-scale social entrepreneurship, increasing their motivation to remain active in the region.
  3. Social innovation from the bottom up: the use of design thinking allowed pilot initiatives to be tested and adjustments to be made to what worked, promoting practical and replicable learning.
  4. Community fabric and collaboration: we work with social services, which is essential for reaching more dispersed parishes and sustaining our intervention over time.
  5. Replicable and scalable model: COIDAMUXÍA documented good practices and laid the foundations for a methodological guide to facilitate replication in other rural municipalities facing similar challenges.

Furthermore, the project was implemented within the framework of call BS508E (intergenerational volunteering in rural areas) funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU (PRTR), aligning local intervention with European priorities for social cohesion and innovation in care.

Why volunteering programmes matter in the face of loneliness

Volunteer programmes do not replace professional services, but they do multiply their reach: they go where it is difficult to go, build trust door to door and activate latent resources in the community. In rural contexts, this proximity + continuity approach makes all the difference: it reinforces autonomy, prevents situations of vulnerability and weaves networks between generations and diverse backgrounds.

In particular, the participation of migrants brings perspectives, languages and experiences that enrich the support provided and accelerate their inclusion in the municipality (relationships, employment references, cross-cutting skills). When, as in COIDAMUXÍA, the majority of the volunteer team comes from abroad, the message is clear: care is a common language and a real path to two-way integration (those who help also feel part of the community, learn and plan for the future). This commitment to employability linked to care is part of the project’s DNA and is in line with strategies to promote volunteering in Galicia.

Measurement and continuous improvement

From the outset, we incorporated a monitoring and evaluation system with surveys, interviews and visit logs to measure the perceived reduction in loneliness, the satisfaction of older people and volunteers, and the degree of community participation. This evaluation not only guarantees transparency and quality, but also allows us to identify which initiatives work best, consolidate them and transfer them to new contexts.

Looking ahead

COIDAMUXÍA ends today, but its lessons continue. We have demonstrated that, with training, regular support, social innovation, and partnerships, intergenerational volunteering reduces unwanted loneliness and strengthens rural communities. Our next step is to consolidate and scale up: sharing the methodology, keeping the volunteer network alive, and adding collaborations so that more older people feel accompanied in their daily lives.

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2025 at SenValos NGO: a year of inclusion, partnerships and measurable results

31st December 2025. We close the year with a mixture of quiet pride and responsibility. Pride, because 2025 has been a year of sustained hard work, of presence in the territory and of projects that have responded to real needs. Responsibility, because every piece of data we share and every story we accompany reminds us that social inclusion is not an abstract idea: it is a daily, demanding and collective task.

In a social context where progress coexists with uncertainty —and where, on occasion, we hear discourse that simplifies diversity or questions sustainability and interculturalism— at ONGD SenValos we have opted for a clear approach: to act with rigour, closeness and evidence, forging alliances to make opportunities more accessible to all and to make our communities more cohesive, safer and more prosperous.

This article is a summary of what we have achieved in 2025, the results we have attained, and our outlook as we enter 2026.

A key idea that has guided 2025: inclusion that is built locally

If anything defines this year, it is the combination of three elements:

  1. Territory: grounded projects with a real presence in municipalities and regions.
  2. Support: inclusion processes that are not resolved in a single session, but rather through sustained pathways.
  3. Partnerships: local government, community organisations, businesses and committed citizens.

Social inclusion, employability, education, community health and rural well-being do not depend on a single intervention. They depend on networks and continuity. That is why at SenValos we have prioritised networking, coordination with local agents and the ability to adapt each project to the specific reality of each location.

Main projects for 2025

1) Social inclusion of migrants in A Coruña, Negreira, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Chantada

During 2025, we developed various social inclusion projects aimed at migrants in A Coruña, Negreira, Vilagarcía de Arousa, and Chantada. The common goal was to reduce barriers and expand opportunities through support, guidance, community activation, and coordinated referral to resources.

These projects are based on a simple premise: inclusion does not happen ‘by inertia’. It requires accessible information, support at key moments, assistance in navigating procedures and resources, and also spaces where community ties can be strengthened.

2) European project: training in host languages using AI, in collaboration with Poland

Language is a key. It opens doors to social participation, education, employment and access to services. In 2025, we are promoting a European project for training in host languages using AI, in collaboration with Poland.

The focus has been on exploring more personalised and accessible approaches: different learning rhythms, adaptable itineraries and resources that reduce dependence on a single teaching format. Innovation, in our approach, does not replace the human element: it reinforces it. Technology is useful when it broadens access, reduces gaps and respects the diversity of contexts.

3) COIDAMUXÍA: promoting volunteering to alleviate unwanted loneliness in rural areas

Rural areas don’t just need services: they need community. In 2025, we launched a project to promote volunteering through COIDAMUXÍA, aimed at alleviating unwanted loneliness in rural areas.

Unwanted loneliness is a silent phenomenon that affects health and well-being. Responding to it requires sensitivity, continuity and a form of care that does not infantilise or invade, but rather accompanies with respect. Volunteering, when well designed and well managed, can be a powerful tool for strengthening bonds, activating neighbourhood networks and sustaining everyday life.

4) VALÍA: comprehensive itinerary for migrant women in vulnerable situations

In 2025, we developed the VALÍA project, a comprehensive programme for vulnerable migrant women. This work was based on a reality that must be stated bluntly: many migrant women face multiple barriers (administrative, employment, linguistic, caregiving, social isolation, and access to rights).

A comprehensive approach means providing support with a gender and rights perspective, coordinating resources and sustaining processes, not just ‘responding to specific demands’. At VALÍA, the priority has been to strengthen capacities, protect rights and expand support networks so that each person can build their life project with greater security and autonomy.

5) San Isidro Eco-farm: social and labour inclusion through regenerative agriculture

The ecological transition is not just an environmental issue: it is also a social one. In 2025, we are moving forward with the social and labour inclusion project through regenerative agriculture at Ecogranja San Isidro.

Regenerative agriculture connects employment, practical learning, sustainability and territorial roots. Working from this approach means thinking long term: healthier soils, lower-impact production, and at the same time, inclusion pathways that can open doors to employment and entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector.

6) Educational support for young migrants in A Coruña, with assistance in the form of school supplies.

Education is a right and also a predictor of future opportunities. In 2025, we continued the educational support project for young migrants in A Coruña, including assistance with the provision of school supplies.

Here, the objective is very specific: that the starting point does not determine the ceiling. Accompanying students in their studies, reinforcing habits, supporting educational continuity and reducing material barriers is a direct investment in the future, in self-esteem and in belonging.

7) Revitalisation of the agroecological production sector in the region of A Coruña

In 2025, we will participate as a driving force in the agroecological production sector in the region of A Coruña. Agroecology is a path to regional development with economic, environmental and social potential. Boosting the sector means facilitating connections, activating networks, raising awareness of initiatives and contributing to a more resilient production ecosystem.

This work has a strategic component: if we want vibrant territories and just transitions, we need local value chains, decent employment and sustainable production models that leave no one behind.

8) Promotion of migrant associations: support for initiatives in A Coruña, Betanzos and Costa da Morte

Inclusion is strengthened when there is community participation and organisation. In 2025, we will reinforce the promotion of migrant associations, supporting initiatives in A Coruña, Betanzos and Costa da Morte.

This support seeks something essential: that migrants are not only recipients of services, but also protagonists of proposals, spaces for coexistence and collective actions. Associationism is a vehicle for active citizenship and a key element in building more cohesive communities.

2025 results: data that speaks to effort and impact

Accountability matters. Not only for transparency, but because it allows us to learn, improve, and sustain social support for what works.

In 2025, at SenValos NGO:

  • We assisted 643 migrants throughout the year.
  • Sixty-three per cent were women, reinforcing the importance of maintaining specific approaches and measures that address structural inequalities.
  • We trained 95 people, promoting key skills for autonomy and employability.
  • We achieved stable employment for 34 people, a particularly significant indicator due to its direct impact on economic security and life plans.
  • We have had a positive indirect impact on more than 13,600 people through community actions, awareness-raising, networking, revitalisation and improvement of environments.

These figures are not an end goal: they are a starting point for further improvement. Behind each figure lies time, coordination, monitoring, and also the determination of those who trust in our programmes and participate in them.

What 2025 has taught us (and what we will not lose sight of)

This year leaves us with clear lessons:

  • Itineraries work better than isolated interventions. Inclusion requires continuity and follow-up.
  • The community approach multiplies the impact. When you activate local networks, the changes are sustained beyond a single project.
  • Useful innovation is innovation that bridges gaps. AI and technology make sense when they improve access, personalisation, and efficiency without dehumanising processes.
  • Rural areas require specific solutions. Unwanted loneliness cannot be addressed with urban solutions: it requires closeness, presence and respect for the rhythms of the territory.
  • Sustainability and inclusion are two sides of the same transition. There is no viable environmental future without social justice, nor lasting social justice without sustainable environments.

Vision for 2026: consolidate, scale up and take care of the essentials

We are entering 2026 with a practical and forward-looking vision: to consolidate what works, scale up what can be replicated, and strengthen the quality of our support. This involves:

  • strengthen employability and training pathways;
  • expand community-based and participatory approaches;
  • seguir innovando en aprendizaje de lenguas y metodologías accesibles;
  • strengthen actions that connect agroecology, employment and territory;
  • and take care of the team and volunteers, because there can be no sustained impact without well-cared-for organisations.

Thank you, and how to keep adding

None of this is done alone. Thanks to the participants, volunteers, professional team, collaborating entities, administrations, and the productive fabric that has walked alongside SenValos throughout 2025.

If you would like to contribute to the continuation of this work and help it reach further in 2026, there are several ways you can get involved: participate, spread the word, collaborate as an organisation, or support SenValos’ initiatives in your field. The important thing remains the same: to continue building community and real opportunities, with rigour and humanity.