"In Senegal they live from footwear, as we used to live in Inca"

IncaAt number 27 on Joan d’Àustria street in Inca, behind a shop window full of fabrics and embroideries, there is a space where solidarity takes shape. It is the Punts amb Vida workshop, the most visible project of the Inca Solidària association.

There, about twenty women gather to sew and dedicate their time and creativity to helping others: from Inca to Senegal, passing through Valencia, Lleó, Greece, Syria, Serbia, Ukraine, Gaza…

The workshop is not a place for mass production, but a meeting space from which they organize solidarity actions. Their mission is as simple as it is ambitious: to help others through empathy and collective action.

Behind it, and led by the president, Antonia Triguero, is a group of women like Gertrudis Borrueco, an institution in volunteering in the capital of Raiguer. “I have been a volunteer for over 40 years,” Gertru clarifies naturally. “Antonia and I bonded in the Caritas soup kitchen volunteering in Inca, but she already came from Syria and from doing many other things,” she explains.

Her story of dedication began when her daughter, who is now an adult, was only seven years old and started catechism. Gertru got involved through the youth club and parishes with collecting clothes and food. She has also dedicated countless hours to helping abused women and sick people. For her, volunteering is not a one-off activity, but an essential part of life. “I don’t think I could live without volunteering. It’s something that comes from within you,” she says.

Books for milk

What began in 2018 as a gathering of four or five women in the parish of Sant Domingo has evolved into a space located at Carrer de Joan d'Austria, number 27. Gertru recalls the beginnings: "At first, we couldn't keep up. We gave away a book in exchange for a liter of milk to anyone who asked."

From the parish, they moved to an apartment: a small space, few resources, and a lot of willpower. If a family needed a bag for school, they made one. If money needed to be raised, they organized activities. This ability to listen and respond has been key to consolidating a solidarity network that now extends further.

Currently, already in the shop-workshop, about twenty women gather to sew and support various initiatives. Thanks to a small grant, they were able to buy sewing machines for thick fabrics and also restore old machines. Their creations – bags, accessories, and decorative pieces – have become their own brand, and the funds raised are converted into food and emergency aid.

The workshop is also a space for learning and empowerment. No one arrives knowing everything. "I only knew how to hem pants. Now they ask me for anything and I do it," says Gertru. Learning is part of the process, as is making mistakes. "If you don't get it wrong sometimes, you'll never learn," she points out.

Inquer pride

“Behind every stitch are people from Inca who transform tradition into hope”, points out the president, Antonia Triguero. From this is born the latest textile project: Orgull Inquer. Through the making of handmade tapestries with the greyhound emblem, the association claims the sense of belonging and adds color to the city's balconies.

But this local pride knows no borders. The funds they raise reach various spheres: from local actions at the food bank, the soup kitchen, and events like the upcoming solidarity day for Oriol and research into FOXG1 syndrome, to aid for those affected by the storm in Valencia, support for Leon after a fire (where they sold honey that a beekeeper managed to save), to shipments to Ukraine, Syria, and Serbia, and the development of basic services in Senegal.

The project has also materialized in Palestine with Aid for Gaza. What seemed unthinkable today is a school where over 500 children receive food, clothing, and a safe space to continue learning.

An internationalism that Gertru, who recently traveled to Senegal, admits is emotionally impactful: "I got off the plane and would have returned to Mallorca the same day, due to the impact of seeing what they live with. But going there and seeing how they share everything, how it changes their lives... makes it all worthwhile."

“Now we will have a fashion show with their fabrics and we have involved Senegalese people to tell us their ways and customs. There they live like we used to live here from footwear. Most of them make shoes, but shoes with their own identity. We want to capture the authentic essence of their land”, remarks Gertrudis.

Volunteering transforms the one who practices it

You don't need special skills to participate. Gertru sends a clear message: "People tell me: 'What will I do all by myself?'. But if everyone says that, we'll never be two, or three. We'll always be alone. I'd tell them to try it. If you don't come, you don't know what's done. If you don't do it badly, you'll never learn".

After decades of involvement, her conclusion is simple: volunteering also transforms the person who practices it. "I wouldn't know how to live without volunteering. You receive more than you give." When asked if she's not tired, the answer is clear: "I rest seeing that people have help," she assures as the machines continue to work and the fabrics take shape.