The Covid-19 epidemic has reduced the visibility of other health and social problems. An example of this is the case of homeless people, which affects almost 40.000 people in Spain alone according to latest data from Caritas. The pandemic has aggravated this situation —many people have been left without work and without resources—, and social policies and public aid have not been enough to mitigate its economic impact, so that at the end of 2020 the number of homeless people has increased.
What can we do in this bleak scenario? To begin with, contribute our grain of sand. Everything adds up and everything counts.
Our story begins somewhat before the pandemic. In 2018, Dr. Iñaki Cercadillo participated in an interview with Edu Pascual, where he met Andrew Funk, president and founder of the association Homeless Entrepreneur. This entity is dedicated not only to helping homeless people to meet their basic daily needs, but more importantly, to giving them opportunities to improve their quality of life.
Since then, the entire Ahoa team has been involved in the project, and we collaborate providing completely free treatments that improve the oral health of homeless people. This has an impact on two aspects: The first and most immediate, on the recovery of the person's oral health and aesthetics, and the second, on the recovery of confidence and self-esteem.
In addition, this year also we collaborate with the solidarity calendar of the association. In fact, Dr. Cercadillo is the protagonist of the month of August! With this gesture, we hope to help make this problem visible, and encourage other people and companies to collaborate.
Do you dare to put your grain of sand? You can find the solidarity calendar at the Ahoa reception, contact Homeless Entrepreneur to explore ways of collaboration, or simply share this news to give visibility to the situation and encourage other people to collaborate.
