THESE are the expat-run charities helping the needy this festive period.
While most expats move to Spain’s sunny climes for a relaxing retirement in the sun, some barely take a siesta.
That’s certainly the case for those who set up charities to help their local community.
The festive period is especially tough for these expat elves, who strive to provide the same aid despite donations being diverted to gifts, decorations and the all important Christmas dinner.
That’s why we wanted to highlight three charities who deserve a generous donation this Christmas for their work supporting the less fortunate.
Feeding 80 people a day
Charity Adintre provides breakfast, lunch and dinner for over 80 people every day on the Costa del Sol.
It was founded by Ghanian expat Joyce Gyimah Amponsah, who moved to Madrid in 1994 to escape a forced marriage.
Photo: Adintre
Amponsah had a ‘very difficult’ childhood selling scraps to bring money home for her mother and siblings so in 2001 she decided to help those in need by taking homeless people out for dinner.
She did this every Sunday until she moved to Fuengirola in 2007, where she started a successful real estate business.
Amponsah continued giving food to the homeless on the Costa del Sol when a well-dressed man in a suit and tie asked for some supplies.
“At first I was confused but then I realised it wasn’t just the homeless who needed help,” she told the Olive Press.
She expanded her reach, eventually growing so much that Fuengirola town hall sent the needy directly to her.
“The average salary is low here so there’s many families who can’t even afford a cup of milk or a piece of bread for their children,” she said.
“People come from all the coast, including Malaga, Torremolinos, Mijas, Marbella and Estepona.”
In 2012, Adintre was officially established as a charity and Amponsah dedicated herself fully to the project.
Photo: Adintre
Now, she has sold 44 of the 47 properties she used to own as part of her business to fund the charity.
Adintre not only supplies food but accommodation and support to help get people out of difficult situations.
Amponsah says this often includes Brits who lose their documents or get stuck in Spain, ending up on the streets.
“For me, the most important thing is seeing a person I’ve helped later on and knowing that they’re off the streets. That is my joy,” she said.
She has now been honoured with a MBE by the British Royal Family.
“I never expected thanks because I don’t do it for appreciation,” she admitted.
“But I feel really honoured. I believe that we are all the same and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so if you see somebody in need, you should help if you can.”
Doing his bit for Ukraine
British expat Kitt Hogg has ‘rediscovered his life’s purpose’ by aiding Ukraine’s fight against Russia from his Costa Blanca home.
He has driven two vehicles to the war-town country as part of the ‘Car4Ukraine’, a charity which refurbishes vehicles for the front line.
In November, the 70-year-old drove a Ford Ranger that had been parked up forgotten in fellow expat Sue Adam’s garage in Orihuela. After getting her permission, he set off on the long drive through the aftermath of extreme flooding to reach Lviv, a city not far from Ukraine’s Polish border.
Photo: Kit Hogg
“It was a difficult journey,” he said.
“I am appalled and outraged by the dangerous lack of response to this conflict from the West so I wanted to help.”
This trip followed the expat’s first journey from Wales to Ukraine in September 2023.
Photo: Car4Ukraine
He raised over £5,000 in donations to purchase an old Mitsubishi L 200 and take on a two week road trip to Lviv.
“There’s a spirit of resilience there. I don’t want them to think we’ve forgotten about them because it’s only getting worse. That’s why I knew I had to come back,” he said.
The charity has now received over 500 4x4s, which have a ‘huge impact’ after being converted into medical, transport or weapons vehicles.
“If you have a suitable vehicle and you believe in the cause of a people upholding their right to self-determination in the face of a ruthless aggressor, you could make a difference,” he urged.
Dedicated to children in need
Children in need are the focus of 82-year-old expat Ronald Mark Hawes who founded the JoyRon Foundation with his wife Josephine in 2015.
Photo: JoyRon
Inspired by his own unhappy childhood, Hawes has always done charity work and knew that as soon as he retired he would dedicate himself to helping those less fortunate.
“The man I thought was my father never treated me like a son. My mum tried the best she could but I never felt that kind of warmth from my parents,” he told the Olive Press.
“It was a rough life, I had no friends or family life, so now I want to bring joy, comfort and support to children in the Balearics.”
The charity’s first project was an aquatics centre for children with cerebral palsy at Aspace Mallorca.
Photo: JoyRon
Since then, the team of five officers and 18 volunteers has financed and built a cinema at Son Espases Hospital as well as a psychomotricity room at a first response centre for victims of abuse.
“The more I looked the more I found children in need,” he said.
“We identify the need, finance it, build it and donate it.”
The foundation also has a ‘Grant a Wish’ programme designed to fulfil the dreams of sick children.
Photo: JoyRon
In 2016, JoyRon sent Carlos Franco, a little boy with a brain tumour to Disneyland Paris and later, they treated a partially blind and deaf boy, Andre, to a summer camp in Barcelona.
Every year, the charity gives Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children and this year, they are giving away 450 pairs of headphones.
Though they are mainly based in Mallorca, the team are hoping to expand to Menorca and Ibiza, as well as looking for reps in Alcudia, Pollenca and Santanyi.
