The future of Spain’s rural villages is not written in stone and, of course, they are not doomed to oblivion. Today, more than ever, there is growing awareness of how important it is to revitalize these areas, not only because of what they represent in terms of environmental sustainability and the cultural wealth they hold, but also because of their potential to offer many people the chance to lead a fuller and more sustainable life than in the cities.
Andrés is a good example of this. After working in Madrid for 45 years, he moved to Sacedón (Guadalajara). “I wanted to escape the concrete jungle, the stress, the hustle and bustle of the big city, and be able to develop my passion as an artist.” However, once he had settled in the village, Andrés encountered numerous barriers when it came to finding a job: his age (68), the fact that he had no specialist training, and fewer job offers in rural areas led him to consider returning to Madrid.
Luckily for Andrés, the NGO Action Against Hunger (AAH) was already working in the area. This organization runs the Rural Communities program, co-financed by the European Social Fund+ and Fundación MAPFRE within the framework of the +Rural Grants. After attending outreach sessions on Sustainable Rural Employment and Entrepreneurship in Sacedón, Andrés joined a learning community from which he set out on a pathway to workplace integration. “An enormous window of opportunity opened up for me that I had not even imagined”, he explains. “As well as being able to attend a Sustainable Rural Tourism workshop, I worked with AAH technicians on my career objectives and on putting together my CV. They also taught me how to look for work using digital tools.”
The threat of failure, which made Andrés fear he would have to return to the Madrid he had escaped from, began to fade. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place and real possibilities of finding a foothold in the area emerged: after going through three selection processes, Andrés started working as a kitchen assistant at the weekends and finally found a job at Sacedón Town Hall, where he currently works.
The secret to the success of stories like Andrés’ is the involvement of all the key players in a region -both public and private- through the creation of learning communities, which are vital for identifying social and training needs and enabling effective action. Since the project began, at the start of 2024, AAH has managed to launch twelve learning communities distributed across the three regions in which the program is being developed: four of them in Castile-La Mancha, related to Forestry Management, Sustainable Rural Tourism and Agroforestry; five in Galicia, focused on Culture, Women, Sustainable Tourism and Forestry Community; and three in Navarre, linked to employability and entrepreneurship as drivers of economic activity. In total, this initiative has helped 191 people, of whom 61% are women.
The profile of the beneficiaries is highly diverse: from individuals like Andrés, who leave the city to settle in rural areas, to immigrants who, in addition to facing the challenges of rural life, must also overcome language barriers and navigate administrative procedures to establish themselves. It also includes the local population, who strive to build a future in their hometowns rather than having to relocate elsewhere.
“This support is giving people the chance to stay in their local area, to carry on living where they grew up, but with better opportunities”, explains AAH. “The rural environment is no longer just the guardian of culture, good food, natural refuges and home remedies; it is now also a place where it is possible to consider a different way of life.”
Thanks to the Rural Communities project, people living in Spanish villages can be enterprising, set up businesses and work close to their families without having to abandon their roots in search of better conditions.
Fundación MAPFRE, with the resources provided by the European Social Fund+, promotes employment and connects rural areas with the world, providing resources and improving services. Our aim is to ensure that villages do not become empty memories, but prosperous communities, where both young and old can find a future.
