RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK TO SAVE EMAUS
A MAMMOTH effort by expats all along the Costa to save Emaus residents led to a 48-hour scramble to get the equivalent of the population of Pego to add their names to the cause.
With the charity's closure date of Wednesday morning looming, Make A Smile's Lucy and Tony Grande said they needed 10,000 signatures on a Change.org petition before the central government would take it seriously.
The petition was set up by Emaus workers in a last-ditch attempt to save their vulnerable charges.
Facebook users from all three provinces shared the link with pleas for their friends to sign, and local information group Jávea Connect tagged hundreds of its members in a post.
Group administrator Loraine passionately rallied the troops with the message: “Can we do it, Connectors? Well, we can jolly well try, ' cos let's face it, we're awesome.”
Within under 20 hours, the Jávea Connect post alone had generated over 1,500 signatures.
At the time of going to press, the petition had fallen short of its 10,000 target.
'Expat power' has once again, however, not only created waves, but a veritable social tsunami: 7,026 of us have backed the online campaign after Make A Smile begged us to turn it viral.
“Aren't their lives important?”
Although the Emaus residents' fate no longer hangs on Change.org alone, the petition remains live and as many signatures as possible are needed – it's just one more weapon in Make A Smile's war against a system that picks and chooses for whom it grants justice.
“We need your help on behalf of 96 children, 24 mentallyhandicapped youngsters, women who have suffered domestic violence, 11 babies and 78 elderly residents – the most vulnerable who live among us,” Lucy Grande urges.
Along with the bitter pill of these damaged humans being somehow less important than national corporations and premier league sports clubs, Emaus's hard-working team has to stomach the fact that 40% of the charity's whopping debt is in interest and fines for late payment.
“I know we're talking about children who are too young to vote or youngsters who are not able to vote, but are their lives any less important?” Lucy wonders.
According to the petition, the current regional government says it is the previous right-wing PP-led Parliament who let the debt creep up, but the new leftwing cabinet in Valencia has been working with the Emaus committee.
“Our children could be forced to leave their homes and schools, move far away from their friends and families,” say Emaus staff.
“And we're mediating with some families so that, where possible, their children might be able to return home to them in stages.
“But they would once again face the tough task of adapting to a new environment if the shelter closes, with all that this entails for children, who are already carrying so much baggage and hurt around with them.”
Tony sent his thanks to expats from as far afield as Miramar and Oliva and the Marina Alta for the huge push they have given the campaign.
“Please keep those signatures coming,” he said.
“And let's hope that through everyone's efforts, the right decisions are now made.”
You can find the petition by searching Emaus on Change.org, and if you want to post a comment to reinforce the message, you can do so in any language.