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:
- Stable intergenerational support network: weekly contact and active listening improved the emotional wellbeing and social participation of the elderly people receiving support.
- 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.
- 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.
- Community fabric and collaboration: we work with social services, which is essential for reaching more dispersed parishes and sustaining our intervention over time.
- 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.
