During this decade, the Association has delivered 20 tonnes of food, more than 20,000 items of clothing, 60,000 units of school material and has carried out 600 ophthalmological check-ups for children
Every year, Aportem collaborates with 20 organisations, more than 1,000 children and hundreds of families of different nationalities
20 tonnes of food, more than 20,000 items of clothing, blankets and sleeping bags, 6,000 items of sports equipment, 30,000 hygiene products, 60,000 items of school material, 500 educational games and toys and 600 ophthalmological check-ups for children. These are some of the figures of Aportem-Puerto Solidario de València during the 10 years that the organisation has been committed to the most vulnerable groups in the Maritime District of Valencia.
Aportem-Puerto Solidario Valencia is a totally private association for the promotion of CSR, made up of institutions, associations, companies and individuals linked to the Valencian port sector and the Maritime District. On 20th February last, the Association celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first founding meetings, held under the auspices of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) and the Valenciaport Foundation.
Aportem’s objective remains the same as it was then: to continue to make economic development compatible with social progress and environmental protection. Today, as then, Aportem, declared of public utility by the Ministry of the Interior, focuses its activity on campaigns to help people at risk of social exclusion in the area surrounding the Port of Valencia, especially children (through the Special Educational Action Centres, support associations and nurseries), women and their families.
During these years, Aportem has also been supporting groups in complex periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic, during which 8,000 units of protection material (masks, paper hands, etc.) or 800 litres of hydroalcoholic gel were distributed. These actions are complemented by more than 250,000 euros in nutrition, basic food, training and constructive leisure. All of them are designed to cover the basic needs of any person. In fact, every year Aportem collaborates with 20 organisations, more than 1,000 minors, as well as hundreds of families and people of different nationalities in the maritime district of Valencia.
In addition, Aportem has also launched environmental initiatives such as the ‘No Plastic’ campaign. Through this project, it has managed to eliminate one million plastic bottles per year, as well as the exchange of experiences among its partners to improve CSR among the port community.
Identity marks
“One of the most important achievements of Aportem is the strong presence in the neighbourhoods bordering the Port of Valencia (Grao, Cabanyal, Canyamelar, Malvarrosa and Nazaret) where the residents are increasingly aware of the permanent support work carried out by the Association”, explains the president of Aportem-Port Solidarity Valencia, Francisco Prado. In this sense, the organisation is receiving more and more requests from associations and schools, who join the “Friends of Aportem”, the group of beneficiaries of its campaigns.
“After these first 10 years of life of Aportem, which we hope to celebrate in June in a massive event with the whole of Valencia in general and the Valencia Maritime District in particular, is a little closer to its Port thanks to the growing solidarity and environmental activity of Aportem – Port Solidarity Valencia”, emphasises the president of the organisation.
Aportem has several distinguishing features. Its totally private nature, with no dependence on any institution, is complemented by the fact that all its members are volunteers, with no one receiving any remuneration for their work. Both the Actions Committee, the Board of Directors and all the members collaborate with the aims of Aportem, with their work and their financial contributions, in a totally altruistic way.
Another of the singularities of Aportem, which is supported solely by membership fees and the solidarity events it organises, is that its support for the Maritime District is permanent. Every year it carries out different campaigns to provide the most vulnerable with food, school supplies, new clothes and footwear, toys, heating oil, eye check-ups and a long list of other initiatives to support an ever-increasing number of beneficiaries.