AISS is a non-profit association, founded in 1999, which provides supervised apartments for people with disabilities. mental illness. It has several apartments in Madrid (four full time, including night), and also offers a home help service.
Its director and founder, Ana Villota, explained this morning that the association "focuses on the attention and care of people, those who need us because of their particular circumstances, AISS accompanies and welcomes, and faith in God is the axis of the association. This project is based on a religious idea, love of neighbor is fundamental. That is, to love others as we love God.
"Thanks to faith."
The event featured the violinist Miren de Felipe, with Schubert's Ave Maria, followed by the Lord's Prayer in seguidillas, with the dancer Christian Almodóvar, Ángel del Toro on vocals, and Javier Romanos on guitar.
"Love for others and for God pushes us to continue working day by day in the most complicated moments, and also teaches us to enjoy the good moments, of which there are many. Smiles and hugs often speak louder than words," said Ana Villota.
"To set up this project I needed my professional career, but everything would have been very short if it had not been for this religious legacy. I find, thanks to faith, peace to be able to develop this work with guarantee, and precisely this premise is what we want to emphasize today with this beautiful visit of Javier and Susana".
Psychologists and caregivers
Also present at the event, in addition to the people living in the apartment, were the psychologist Ana, who provides therapy to AISS users; Arancha, daily caregiver of the apartment, and other caregivers of supervised apartments, such as Mélida Miguelina, Dominican, or Dulce María.
Ana learned about AISS through the CEUShe has told Omnes that she "appreciates the role I have in providing support and how grateful the patients themselves are, being able to talk to them, and that they recognize your work. It's nice to see how they live here, the functions of daily life - the routines are important - and we appreciate being able to make them feel good."
Striving for an integrated life
Susana Hernández, head of social work for Exclusion de Caritas MadridHe pointed out that "in Caritas we also have projects with mental illness, but they are for homeless people. And we agree on the need to eliminate the stigma, to accompany, to make the disease is not a reason to stop being a citizen, in this case of Madrid, or Spain, It is fortunate to see that there are other people working and doing important work, sharing values.
Javier Ojeda, for his part, said that "on behalf of Caritas Madrid, we thank you for being able to get to know closely and enjoy the experience of caring, with affection and professionalism, for those people with whom you share life and future".
"As Ana (Villota) commented in an interview on the Cope channel, "there are four verbs that are very important, and that Pope Francis highlights when speaking of the drama of migrants. They are to welcome, protect, promote and integrate".
"Avoid isolation and individualism."
"We believe that you live these same verbs in your sheltered apartments, in your daily life with people with mental health. That is why we share with you that desire and that effort for these people to lead a fully normalized and integrated life, offering the same living conditions that we have the rest of people, "added Javier Ojeda.
"To build a society that includes everyone is not an act of charity more understood, (...), but it must also offer opportunities for social participation. To promote it in community spaces, because all of us have some kind of disability: an excess of selfishness, inability to put ourselves in the place of others, violent attitudes ....".
"We all have much to learn and much to teach, and we must play our part in the field of integration, avoiding isolation and individualism (...). We thank you for your efforts to make life easier and more dignified for persons with disabilities. mental healthWe encourage you to continue in this task," concluded the diocesan delegate for Caritas Madrid.
