The Plenary Hall of Telde hosted the welcome event on Thursday for more than ten minors from the Tinduf camps who will spend the summer with host families in the municipality.
The Plenary Hall of the Town Hall of Telde was the venue on Thursday for the traditional reception of the Sahrawi children participating this summer in the Holidays in Peace programme. Just over a dozen minors from the refugee camps of Tinduf, Algeria, will spend the summer months with host families in the municipality, away from the extreme conditions of the desert.
The event was presided over by the mayor of Telde, Juan Antonio Peña, accompanied by the councillor for Solidarity, Juan Francisco Artiles, and other members of the municipal corporation. Also present were the president of the Canary Association of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (ACSPS), Octavio Melián Hernández, and the representative of the Polisario Front in the Canary Islands, Alí Salem Sidi Zein, along with representatives of the host families and volunteers.
A breath of fresh air for the children from the desert
The Holidays in Peace programme has been running since the early nineties and is one of the main cooperation initiatives with the Sahrawi people in Spain. Its aim is to offer these children the opportunity to leave the Tinduf camps during the summer, where temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius, allowing them to enjoy healthier living conditions.
During their stay, the minors receive medical check-ups, healthcare, a balanced diet, and participate in educational, cultural, and leisure activities. The initiative also helps to raise awareness in society about the situation faced by the Sahrawi people for decades.
Recognition for the host families
Mayor Juan Antonio Peña highlighted the commitment of the families from Telde participating in the programme. He noted that they represent “the best example of solidarity and humanity” by sharing their home and daily life with these minors during the summer. The mayor also thanked the work of the ACSPS and the volunteers, emphasising that initiatives like this “make Telde a city committed to human rights and international cooperation”.
For his part, the councillor for Solidarity, Juan Francisco Artiles, reaffirmed the Town Hall's commitment to a programme that transcends international cooperation to become a deeply human experience. He highlighted the efforts of the host families and all collaborators to ensure that the children can enjoy a safe environment and access health checks.
Institutional and social collaboration
The president of the ACSPS, Octavio Melián Hernández, thanked the involvement of public institutions, town halls, and especially the host families, reminding that without them the programme would not be possible. Melián emphasised that Holidays in Peace not only improves the quality of life for the minors for a few weeks but also strengthens the historical ties of solidarity between the Canary Islands and the Sahrawi people.
On behalf of the Sahrawi people, Alí Salem Sidi Zein, representative of the Polisario Front in the Canary Islands, symbolised the institutional bond with the solidarity associations and collaborating administrations. Over the coming weeks, the minors will live with their host families in Telde, participate in recreational, sports, and cultural activities, and explore different corners of Gran Canaria before returning to Tinduf at the end of the summer.
The event concluded with the presentation of gifts to the children and a unanimous message of gratitude to the families from Telde for making it possible, once again, for the Holidays in Peace programme to continue being a benchmark of solidarity and cooperation between the Canary Islands and the Sahrawi people.
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