Refugees return

Los niños refugiados saharauis retornan a los campamentos... That is how the article published by "El Diario de Sevilla" starts. "Refugee children return to the camps". Around 300 underage saharawis have said good-bye the 26th of August to their host-families in San Pablo airport, where the team of the association of Friendship with the Saharawi people were waiting for them, to organise their return to the refugee shelters in Tinduf (Algeria) where they have returned after having enjoyed their summer in the province of Sevile thanks to the programme "Vacaciones en Paz 2016" (Vacations in peace). The children left with their bags, a box of food and presents to arive to the camps, hug their families again and start the school year.

In spite of the decrease of host families throughout the Spanish State provoked by the Spanish crisis, Seville, between the provinces, has been one of the most welcoming, similar to Andalucía which has been an autonomous community with the most children, raising one thousand underage refugees. Also, this year, thanks to the Colective Sponsorship campaign, which was able to sponsor more than 30 trips for Saharawi children, has opened the eyes of the groups and sponsoring entities, from which new host families have emerged, increasing the number of people defending children's rights.

One more year it has been possible to achieve important objectives of the "Vacaciones en Paz" project, also it has been possible to give health-care to the refugees some of which will come back next year to continue receiving medical treatment.

Mario Rodríguez and Teresa Gómez.