Alicia García-Madrid Colado

Fundación Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger Foundation - ACH) is an independent international humanitarian organization that fights malnutrition while ensuring water and secure livelihoods for vulnerable populations. Acción contra el Hambre - Spain is member of an international network working in 49 countries.  ACH has a work area based on Social Action and socio-labour inclusion in Spain. Its objective is to promote the access to the labour market of those people at risk of social and labour exclusion through employment and entrepreneurship programs. Our programs are implemented in 11 different Spanish regions through local offices that help us reach both urban and rural areas. IN SPAIN Since we started our intervention in 2014 more than 26.000 people at risk of social exclusion have participated in our employability programs, which are:   Vives Emplea (Employment Shuttle): it is a program that improves the employability of people at risk by gathering them in teams of 25 people so that they work in the same team to find a job. Each member of the team helps the rest and they can all rely on the help of a career advisor that supports them and guides them through this process. Vives Emplea was finalist of the Regiostars awards 2016 in the category “inclusive growth”. The Employment Shuttles focus on the acquisition and strengthening of the necessary skills and competences that participants require to increase their opportunities to find a job, manage themselves in the work environment and develop their career. ACH is currently developing an innovative approach in the employment programs incorporating a “Healthy approach” where the promotion of healthy habits are having a direct impact on the employability, improving participants options of meeting their objectives. Vives Emprende (Business Shuttle): it is the entrepreneurship and self-employment program that boosts personal development, the acquisition and improvement of soft skills as well as of entrepreneurial competencies. Participants have access to one-by-one (personalised) advice about their business idea, and on-line and face to face training through team workshops. In addition they are supported to access micro-credit funds.  We have specific entrepreneurship projects aimed at youth and migrant population, with ad-hoc pathways to meet their needs.  Many specific activities have been developed to support female entrepreneurs, who represent 65% of the participants in entrepreneurship projects: - Microfinance program for women entrepreneurs. - Entrepreneurship and gender workshops. We have experience in the eco-design of business models and also “circularization” strategies for traditional businesses in order to provide them competitive advantages in their respective markets. Specific events open to the public interested in making their business plans more sustainable have also been organized by ACH under the name “Eco- event of Circular Entrepreneurship”.  Vives Aprende (Schools4Employment): This program combines VET education with the approach of employment and entrepreneurship competences and related soft skills, with the aim to help people to develop specific professional skills. This program contributes to the improvement of soft skills and professional competencies of vulnerable people in order to find employment in sectors such as catering, warehouse, ecological agriculture, e-commerce or care for dependents.  Technical assistance in Penitentiary Centers: it is a project targeted at professionals who work with persons deprived of liberty. An ACH coach guides those professionals throughout the process by providing training, and the necessary tools to build a personalized socio-labour inclusion itinerary for their participants.  IN EUROPE  Since 2017 ACH leads the European Network of Innovation for Inclusion, funded by the Operational Programme for Social Inclusion and the Social Economy (POISES) of the European Social Fund. The network is an over 440 member community, which is composed by European entities working with groups at risk of social exclusion in order to build a more inclusive socio-labour ecosystem. It broadcasts the work of the member entities while it promotes innovation, exchange of good practices and collaboration.  ACH participates in diverse European Programs such as Erasmus+, AMIF, ENI-CBC-MED or EASI.