• ‘Tu silla, Su refugio’ campaign seeks to raise awareness about refugee aid
• Chairs designed by celebrities on exhibit at CaixaForum Madrid until 2nd July
As part of ongoing efforts to welcome and provide shelter and assistance in Spain to refugees fleeing war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa, the Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado (CEAR, Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid) marked World Refugee Day on Tuesday with the support of 60 Spanish celebrities from the worlds of culture, sports and media in the Tu silla, Su refugio (‘Your chair, Their refuge’) at Madrid’s CaixaForum.
On exhibit at CaixaForum through the 2nd of July with free admission for the public, the 60 chairs specially designed by each of the participating celebrities will be subsequently auctioned off at www.tusillasurefugio.org to support the work of CEAR in the reception of refugees in Spain. Participating celebrities include La Sexta television presenter Jordi Évole and comedian Gran Wyoming, singer Pablo Alborán, actresses Clara Lago and Maribel Verdú, film director Pedro Almodóvar, former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and race car drivers Carlos Sainz and Carlos Sainz Jr.
► ► CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH ‘TU SILLA, SU REFUGIO’ VIDEO [in Spanish] ► ►
Each of the specially designed chairs is meant to symbolize the reception of refugees in Spain in what actress Inma Cuesta described in presenting the exhibition as an effort to raise awareness among the Spanish public of the need to break down barriers that separate people and build bridges of understanding of the plight of refugees seeking asylum in Spain.
In 2016, Spain received 15,755 applications for asylum, representing roughly one refugee for every 3,000 inhabitants of the country. At the same time, Spain has resettled just slightly more than 1,300 refugees from camps in Italy, Greece, Libya and Turkey, barely 7.5 percent of its commitment under a 2015 refugee resettlement accord signed by all EU countries.
Through its Tu silla, Su refugio campaign, CEAR is hoping to raise awareness at the same time that it raises funds to continue and increase the scope of its work toward resettling and providing assistance to refugees arriving to Spain.
► Read More in Spanish at Europa Press, El País and El Periódico …
