Enrique Díaz-Barceló is a BNP Paribas Spain employee , taking care of the relationship management of Spanish insurance companies and foreign banks in Spain. He received funding from Apoyamos tus ideas, the Coup de Pouce project of BNP Paribas Spain, for his involvement with Missioneros Combonianos. This is a religious order very active in the Third World countries, which helps feed and educate large numbers of poor people.

1. What was your personal motivation to get involved with this project?

The father in charge of the mission studied engineering with me years ago. We stayed in contact over the years. We would meet whenever he was back to Spain for a brief period, usually every 5 years. I have seen his pictures and listened to him for hours on what life these children live. These stories touched me and motivated my involvement with his mission. So much that I am currently planning to visit him and help out on the ground in the near future.

My concrete project was a complement to feeding 40 orphan children in the South African mission of Waterval during one year. Missioneros Combonianos is active in a large region in the Northeast of South Africa and is located near the Kruger National Park, close to the border with Mozambique and Swaziland. Combonianos’ activity is not located in a city or village as we are used to: people live in huts (some may be spotted on the pictures). There are no streets or roads in the vicinity. The mission has already grown a vegetable garden and orchard and the project will help the protein supplement for this children.

Immediately after our involvement, a group of local men initiated the construction of a dining room for these children and mothers of other children in the mission area are now taking care of these orphans. The fact that they are no longer (at least for one year) an economic burden in this needy area makes them get much more easily integrated in the community.

2. Would you consider the project a contribution to sustainable development for the people that it addresses?

Naturally. These children being fed, they are now taken care of by generous mothers and educated in the mission, allowing them to have a decent future. Unfortunately, the money will only last for one year, and after this period further support will have to be looked for elsewhere in order to continue with the project.

3. What are the main needs of the association that today and how should they be addressed?

Religious missions have raised a certain degree of awareness for centuries. Nonetheless, the lack of religious feelings in the developed world has led to a decrease in interest and funding. Even where there are vocations (often executed with the temporary help of members of NGOs), the extreme need in certain areas cannot be covered unless further funds are found.

I often talk to people about these projects and have got a number of pictures I got from the last visit of my friend to Madrid.

People understand the importance of the project and admire my friend for his total dedication, but often they wrongly feel their small and immediate contribution will not make any difference. This is not true in the case of this project.