A third-year social work student at Comillas University tells us...

"My initial expectations were mainly to have an enriching experience, to be able to do my bit and to learn from the environment I was joining. From the outset, I felt very excited and happy, eager to get involved, meet new people and grow both personally and professionally. Over time, these expectations were not only fulfilled, but exceeded. I discovered that volunteering gave me much more than I had imagined. I learned new skills, developed greater sensitivity to the needs of others, and grew in confidence and teamwork skills. In that sense, my expectations changed because they went from being a desire to contribute and learn to a much deeper experience that transformed me and made me see volunteering as a space for mutual growth."

Mec de La Rue (MdLR), we are an organization committed to migrant children and youth in Melilla. For more than 30 years, we have been accompanying girls, boys and young people living in the streets and centers of the city from a gender and human rights perspective. MdLR is a French expression meaning "street kid", a name that represents our commitment and closeness to this brave and vulnerable population whom we support on their way to a better life.

Melilla is a city of 12km2 , surrounded by the sea and enclosed by a fence, bordering Morocco. Melilla has three fences that run the length of the city, of which the one belonging to Morocco contains concertina (barbed wire), while Spain removed it by UN imposition. There are four border crossings in Melilla: Farhana, Mariguari, Barrio Chino and Beni-Enzar (international). The latter is the most used, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with thousands of people passing through on foot or by vehicle.

The Moroccan city bordering Melilla is Nador. It is estimated that in its mountains there are thousands of people, without running water or electricity, waiting for their time to reach Europe. Behind this reality are the mafias, who offer several ways to do so: jumping the fence, hiding in the undercarriage of a truck or going by boat. It has been demonstrated that, on occasions, after jumping the fence, the so-called "hot returns" take place, in which migrants are returned illegally, bypassing their right to request asylum when they set foot on Spanish soil.

The moment a migrant arrives in Melilla, by land or sea, he/she runs to the CETI (Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes), where he/she has the right to request international protection and to remain there until he/she finds an alternative. On the contrary, unaccompanied foreign minors (or children migrating alone) go to La Purisima, the center for minors. However, many of them flee from its facilities. Historically, there have been reports of psychological and physical abuse and assault suffered by minors residing there. As a result, some children in Melilla live on the streets, having fled La Purísima. Furthermore, on the day they reach adulthood, they must leave the juvenile centre and decide their future without money, work, and, in many cases, without a support network on the mainland. 

With all this, from MdLR we accompany these children, mostly of Moroccan origin and with an average age of 16 to 20 years, children with adjustment problems and many needs to be met. We have a place where we carry out leisure activities and workshops (for example Spanish), we deliver dinners 3 days a week, and accompany them on a daily basis (to the dentist, doctor, immigration, etc.). For this we have a small team of volunteers, which during the holiday period is expanded with people coming from all over the peninsula. In addition, we work in network with other entities.

What are we going to do?

Students will be able to support different actions according to their training.

1. CAFYDE students or students with experience as leisure and free time monitors will be able to prepare and support activities of this type, especially outdoors and on the beach.

2. Students of teaching or international relations will be able to support in Spanish classes (something essential for their passage to the peninsula).

3. People of any kind can support in leisure activities and accompany them in their daily needs (dinner delivery, shopping, doctor, appointments...).

Volunteers will be able to prepare, modify or propose workshops according to the detected needs. The children sleep during the morning, so the activity with them begins after noon, unless they need to be accompanied to an appointment.

Activity schedule:

• Monday to Friday mornings: prepare the Spanish classes and the leisure activities to be carried out. Support in the tasks required by the organization (such as shopping for dinners or accompaniment to medical appointments).

• Monday to Friday from 17:00 to 19:00: Spanish classes.

• Rest of the time: leisure and free time activities, especially outdoors.

• Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm: dinner distribution

• Saturdays flexible schedule.

Other information.

On the one hand, you will find information on the website. From the entity we can send material related to unaccompanied minors. It is also very helpful for volunteers to know the complex reality of the autonomous city and the specific reality of migrants in it.

Young people and adolescents, mostly of Moroccan origin and with an average age of 16 to 20 years, living on the street in Melilla.

This project has on-site support, which means that a technician, teacher or member of the administrative and services staff from one of the organising universities will be present throughout the process: from the selection and preparation stage to the field experience and the subsequent meeting. This person will be your main point of contact. 

Comillas Pontifical University (María Iglesias Martínez)