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Irina meets Inma, who volunteers in Valencia doing family companionship and food distribution
Inma Fos, a 27-year-old psychologist started volunteering in Valencia (Spain) when she was thirteen years old thanks to a friend, a personal experience that nowadays combines with her professional career. She is doing family companionship with the non-profit organization ESYCU and food distribution in a school in the same city.
Fos studied for a double degree in Speech therapy and Psychology at Universidad Católica de Valencia (UCV). Also, she graduated with two master’s degrees; Speech therapy intervention specialising in early intervention and Clinical Psychology. At the moment she works as a speech therapist during the morning and as a psychologist in the afternoon.
First steps into volunteering in Valencia
“At the beginning, it was kind of shocking, but in the end I really enjoyed it and I met amazing people. Also, I felt that I was actually helping”, tells Fos about the beginning of her volunteer path in Valencia. The first project she worked on was in a centre for disabled women in economically vulnerable situations in Valencia.
For her, volunteering in her hometown is another daily activity since she started doing it and she these days she dedicates around four hours per week to it. Helping others had an impact on her perspective on life. “You think you are helping but you are the one that is being helped”, confesses Fos.
Acting in Valencia or volunteering abroad
Regarding her future plans, Fos expresses that one of her dreams is to go to Africa at least once to volunteer but seeing how many people need the support of others in Valencia has shown her there is no need to go abroad to empower a community. “After noticing the reality that there is in my city, in my country…Just in front of my house, I attend a family”, affirms Fos.
The food distribution volunteer started two years ago and was assisting eleven families monthly, but after the pandemic, the quantity has risen to forty-five, a project that also receives Ukrainian refugees.
However, the main objective of this food distribution programme is not only to provide meals, but also to understand if the families have other problems. “Our aim is not to just give food. We want to help to improve their reality, like looking for a job. We like to know them better and try to be useful in more aspects so they do not want them to depend on us”, explains Fos about other tasks related to this volunteering in the Spanish city.
Interested in volunteering?
If you are a young person or you may know young people that want to get involved in the experience of living and/or working in an international environment – the radio show “LIVE” is for you.
Your host is Irina Parra, doing this radio show as a part of the project LIVE, long-term volunteering from the non-profit organisation TDM 20000 in Cagliari, Sardegna, and part of the European Solidarity Corps. Feel free to reach out for questions or suggestions! You can find more information about the LIVE project on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
