A community-led response for asylum seekers and refugees in Spain
Across Spain—and especially in Barcelona—many asylum seekers and refugees arrive with limited support networks and scarce access to timely information or emergency help. While numerous organizations provide excellent services, newcomers often struggle to navigate them in moments of urgency. Kudwa Emergency Actions (KEAs) is a practical and compassionate initiative by Asociación Kudwa, created to bridge that gap through rapid support, accessible guidance, and equal-footing mentorship.
Rooted in Kudwa’s values of community, dignity, and belonging, KEAs combines immediate relief with long-term inclusion. It operates through three interconnected pillars:
1. Emergency Fund
A flexible, community-based fund used to address urgent individual needs. The fund is sustained through regular and casual fundraising efforts and ensures that no one faces bureaucratic or safety barriers alone.
2. Resources
A multilingual guide and network mapping the essential steps for new arrivals: access to healthcare, municipal registration, education, and language courses. This pillar is developed through collaboration with partner organizations to ensure accuracy, inclusivity, and ease of access—helping newcomers find the right service at the right moment.
This guide is supported by a volunteer based language learning to accelerate the language learning process and boost confidence and social connections.
3. Mentorship
Once basic needs are met, KEAs connects participants with professional mentors and private-sector partners to open pathways to work, education, and leadership. This mentorship is non-paternalistic, grounded in mutual learning and equality, empowering participants to define their own futures.
All three pillars are sustained by continuous intercultural and integration accompaniment, ensuring that participants not only access services but also understand and navigate them with confidence, fostering genuine social cohesion and mutual understanding.
By integrating these three pillars, KEAs creates a bridge between emergency response and long-term inclusion—a model where community solidarity meets systemic impact.
Kudwa believes that building belonging starts with care, information, and opportunity—and that every act of support, no matter how small, can change the course of someone’s journey.
