In Spain, 28% of boys and girls are in poverty, according to the latest data from UNICEF. It is the country in the European Union with the highest child poverty rate, a panorama that “not only has immediate implications for the quality of life of children, but can also have long-term effects on their health, education and professional future,” indicates the international organization.
Right to a healthy life, to quality education, to be protected against all types of abuse and violence or the right to play are some of the powers included in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child since 1959. But in Spain, almost a third of minors do not have them guaranteed. Given this scenario, and a few weeks before the celebration of Christmas and Three Kings’ Day, CaixaBank will distribute 34,000 gifts to children in vulnerable situations through the program The Tree of Dreams.
This is the seventh edition of this solidarity initiative, which this year will reach almost 5,000 more children than in 2023. The program is channeled through almost 3,300 CaixaBank offices spread throughout Spain, which since November 21 already have with letters written by children up to 12 years old who are at risk of food poverty, belong to broken families or live in residential centers. According to the latest data of the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030, the country serves 51,203 children and adolescents in the protection system, 6% more than the previous year.
Clients of the entity who want to participate in The Tree of Dreams They must go to a CaixaBank office, where they will be assigned one of the letters written by a child with the specific gift they want for this Christmas. Once the letter has been collected, participants have until December 13 to bring the gift to their office, the maximum amount of which cannot exceed 50 euros. CaixaBank has also enabled a online space from which you can request a letter from this solidarity initiative, the gift of which will be delivered to the physical office that the user chooses.
Starting on December 13, CaixaBank and the more than 360 social entities with which it collaborates in this program will organize the collection and distribution of gifts to turn the children’s dreams into reality. For many families, this is the only gift that minors receive, thanks to the chain of solidarity that is generated among the bank’s clients.
More letters handled than ever
In the present edition of The Tree of Dreams CaixaBank has the collaboration of a total of 363 social entities, including its delegations, linked to the fight against poverty and child vulnerability in all autonomous communities. Also with the support of 350 companies from all over Spain.
It is expected that this year the requests for 34,026 letters will be answered, which means surpassing the record number of beneficiaries of the initiative in its history. Since the first edition, in 2018, CaixaBank will have contributed to fulfilling the wishes of more than 180,000 children at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
Social return
CaixaBank is an entity with a social vocation, as well as a benchmark in socially responsible banking. Its attitude of service is materialized in the different social action programs it promotes, as well as the promotion of volunteering, as a way to respond to the challenges that society demands.
CaixaBank Social Action promotes solidarity initiatives, activities and campaigns, some of them in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Foundation. Thanks to its presence throughout the territory, its network of offices – the largest in Spain – can detect local needs and help from nearby. Through the foundation, financial aid is provided to social entities in each area. And through financial activity, the bank offers services and solutions for all types of people.
On the other hand, CaixaBank’s social impact has been recognized by the main international organizations. He Dow Jones Sustainability Indexwhich takes into account the size of the company and its rating environmental, social and governance, places it among the best global banks in terms of sustainability. And the international organization Carbon Disclosure Project —Carbon Disclosure Project, CDP in English—, includes it as a leading company against climate change.
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