There are many charities in Andalucia, Málaga and along the Costa del Sol, who do excellent, much needed work to help different groups of society and animals through times of need.
There are charities that help sick children and orphans, people who suffer from diseases to end of life care and those that find loving homes for animals.
If you want to volunteer, there are several ways you can help; with a hands-on approach working directly with the people or animals that need it, or you can help out at a charity shop or even by helping organise a fun charity event to raise money. There are many Gala Dinners and golf tournaments advertised along the Costa del Sol and throughout Málaga in aid of many worthy causes.
Becoming a volunteer is a great way to help souls in need while also meeting like-minded new people of all nationalities. If your Spanish isn’t quite there yet, don’t let that stop you, many of these organisations have international and often English-speaking volunteers and staff.
There are local charities as well as many branches of international charities, like the Red Cross, operating along the Costa del Sol and the whole of Andalucía.
Here are just a few of those charities and groups:
Asociación Canina Coín (Coín Canine Association)
La Terapia Con Perros Funciona (Dog Therapy Works)
This association holds a very special place in our hearts, they help children with functional diversity with dog-assisted interventions, they also work with the elderly and offer dog training.
They are located in Coín, Málaga, behind the La Trocha shopping centre.
Their mission is to show all the potential that dogs hold for our society, how special our canine friends are and how special bonds can be created, especially with people that struggle to communicate inside of societal norms. Through dog-assisted interventions many groups can be helped to improve, promoting social inclusion and help them to develop autonomously and lead a full and happy life.
They also offer new opportunities to dogs that have been abandoned.
Through their dog training sessions, relationships between families, pets and the natural environment are strengthened, contributing to the prevention of animal abandonment.
There are many ways you can support this wonderful association, you can donate money directly to them or even purchase something from their wish list that they need.
You can also sponsor a child which will give them weekly therapy sessions for a year or you can become a member by making monthly contributions.
You can find out more on their website or their Facebook Page
SOS Animals
Changing Lives One Dog at a Time
SOS (Spay Our Strays) have a simple mission, which is to find loving forever homes for the dogs in their care. They aim to provide each animal with a safe and loving environment and a secure home with them forever if needed.
SOS gained official charitable status two years after it was founded in 1997 in the Costa del Sol. Over the years, they have saved the lives of many hundreds of Spanish strays and found loving homes for many in Sweden, the UK, Spain and other European countries.
You can find out more about SOS on their website and on their Facebook page.
A.R.C.H. - The Arch Charity Shop
Andalusian Rescue Centre For Horses
ARCH’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home equines that are abandoned, abused or neglected. ARCH was founded in 2009 by a small group of horse lovers, all of whom had experience working with rescued animals.
ARCH is based in stables not far from the Miralmonte Bar and Restaurant on the road from Alhaurín el Grande to Coín.
Many fund-raising events are held throughout the year to help with the cost of providing shelter and rehabilitation for the horses until they are ready to be adopted into suitable homes. ARCH is a non-profit organisation and a registered charity with 100% of all donations going directly to support the horses. It is completely run by volunteers. They constantly need donations, sponsors and helpers. Just a few hours of your time a week would help to make a difference.
They are able to prosecute abusive owners with the improvement in animal cruelty legislation. Almost all of their equines in need of help now come from Seprona, the animal protection arm of the Civil Guard, having been confiscated or found abandoned. The legal process is time consuming, costly and ongoing, therefore all donations are very gratefully received to help them fight for justice. They also have a charity shop in Alhaurín el Grande so you can support them and bag a bargain!
You can visit their website, their Facebook page and their Charity shop Facebook page for more information.
Last Chance Animal Rescue - AID - Animals in Distress
Based in the Malaga region of Southern Spain, the Last Chance Animal Rescue charity was set up by founder Jacqui Ross in 2012 - their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, repair and rehome animals in need.
They receive no government funding for their work and so rely entirely on public donations. Every single cent helps them to save lives. Every day brings new dogs into the rescue from the streets or the pound (el Paraiso perrera). They are either sick, injured, abandoned or at the end of their allotted time in the pound. The LCAR team work tirelessly 24/7 to give these animals in need their last chance for a happy loving secure home.
For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.
CUDECA
CUDECA’s mission is “to change the process of dying to a process of living. Although we cannot add days to life, in CUDECA we try to add quality of life to days through our ‘special kind of caring’.”
The CUDECA Hospice was founded in 1992 by Joan Hunt, an English resident of the Costa del Sol, after she experienced losing her husband to cancer. She was awarded the O.B.E. at Buckingham Palace in 2002 for her incredible work in southern Spain.
Fighting a disease in an advanced stage has many challenges and major changes in all aspects of people’s lives and therefore requires comprehensive care.
Each patient requires different areas of attention and assistance programs, they need personalised and continuous care. Their teams of doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and physiotherapists are specialised in palliative care and provide detailed attention to every aspect of the patients care, while always respecting their wishes and preferences.
They also provide caring support for families and friends of patients.
They are committed to ensuring that each patient can live their lives with quality and dignity to the end.
CUDECA have charity shops in Alhaurín el Grande, Coin, Alora, Arroyo de la Miel, Estepona, Fuengirola, Nerja, Torre del Mar, Torremolinos and Cártama.
For more information, visit their website and take a look at their Facebook page.
Ciudad De Los Niños
Ciudad De Los Niños was founded by Brother Carlos Fernández Dorador in Granada in 1950. It is a non-profit foundation for disadvantaged children and young people, located just outside Málaga city.
The centre is run by brothers from the Catholic religious order "Hermanos Obreros de María" and is approved and monitored by the Andalusian Regional Government. On-site residence is provided for destitute children and those removed from parent custody while the on-site school is also open to children from low-income families and caters to their special learning needs.
The centre is located at Finca los Asperos in Malaga. Due to new laws passed recently, volunteers need to be professionally trained in this specialist field. However, raising funds through a special event is another excellent way of helping this needy cause. More information can be found on their website.
Red Cross (Cruz Roja)
The Red Cross is a well-known, worldwide, non-profit charitable organization.
Their mission is to help people, giving aid without discrimination. They do not distinguish between nationalities, race, religion, social status or political creed, they strive to protect all humans.
There are Hospitals run by the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) in Andalucía and all over Spain. They also run first aid courses at very reasonable prices.
Most of the staff and volunteers are likely to be Spanish speakers. They have many centres and help points throughout the Costa del Sol and Andalucía, as well as many charity shops.
For more information, visit their website or their Facebook page.
UNICEF Málaga
UNICEF - United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, was established in 1946 to help the children of Europe after the Second World War.
In 1953 they changed their name to the United Nations Children’s Fund (though they kept the original acronym) to reflect their broader, worldwide mission.
UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1965.
Their aim is to ‘promote the protection of children and increase their opportunities in life so that they can reach their greatest potential’.
They work to ensure children’s survival and development, taking care of their health, protecting them from exploitation and violence, giving them access to clean water, adequate sanitation and education.
Their goal is to save, protect and empower children.
You can find out more about UNICEF on their website or Facebook page.
