No vigente.
MOJÁCAR’S COUNCILLOR FOR FOREIGNERS HAS BUSY FIRST YEAR
Maria Luisa Pérez, the Councillor for Foreigners of Mojácar, has come to the end of her first year in that office. The post was created due to an election promise made by Mayor Rosmari Cano and her government team, which was honoured following the last election. Maria Luisa, a veteran of Mojácar Council, assumed responsibility and accountability for the task in hand.
This post was established due to the fact that a high percentage of Mojácar’s population come from other countries and, many of them do not have a level of Spanish that allows them to find their way around the different administrations or solve some of the official queries that may arise in everyday life.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, Mojácar has a registered population of 6,838 inhabitants, of whom 3,486 are foreigners, with the British being the largest group. According to the data, almost half of the population of Mojácar does not have Spanish as their first language. Being aware of this situation and in order to provide an adequate service to these residents, Mojácar Council decided to create this post to offer a free service to foreign residents.
Maria Luisa answers all incoming calls personally and confidentially, some being of a personal nature. Consultations include assistance with filling in forms, living wills, accompanying those that require help Social Assistance, solutions for people with limited mobility and with any needs that may arise where language is a limitation. She also gives advice on the range of municipal social services which are available, as well as the Ley de Dependencia (Law of Dependency) and social aid which is available to all residents, regardless of nationality. It must be added that Maria Luisa is not simply acting as a translator as, she has a wealth of experience and the knowledge of council and social procedures to be able to follow up and action with authority, complex matters.
This service has, over the last year, had the additional benefit of Maria Luisa’s availability to visit elderly residents with health and mobility issues in their own home, at their convenience, which has been welcomed by those who found visiting the various Council offices difficult or impossible
Apart from the specific individual needs that may arise, there are also measures to bring cultures together and help coexistence. The Council provides additional free conversational Spanish classes, with great success. It also continues to support the Mojácar Community (English language) Library by offering rent free premises. The Council also publishes, in English, its regular “What’s Going On” newsletter and details of activities as well as keeping the British media based in the area informed.
The municipality also supports activities organized by different English speaking groups or associations, such as the Dames in Spain, MACS (cancer support) and have provided municipal premises for the PAWS (animal protection). The Centro de Usos Múltiples is regularly given for meetings, social events, etc. The aid and collaboration also extends to the areas of sport and religion.
With regard to healthcare, the town has an English speaker at the Medical Centre reception. For those that may need help provided by Social Services, Maria Luisa is available to accompany and help people with their appointments at the Mojácar office in the Centro de Usos Múltiples.
This is indeed intensive work, which fills Maria Luisa’s day and reaffirms the need for her new role, especially as she has received more than 2,000 calls throughout this first year. For Maria Luisa Pérez, this position is intended, not just to aid specific individuals, but to facilitate a higher level of integration. She said “We hope to provide a familiar person, who is very close by and who makes them feel as much like mojaqueros as anyone else".
Maria Luisa can be contacted by phone via Mojácar Town Hall, 950 615 009.
