LligamDona Recognised with Hilton Effect Foundation Grant to Launch Pioneering Social Project Supporting Vulnerable Women

BARCELONA, Spain - Barcelona-based charity LligamDona is launching a pioneering project to provide a comprehensive support program to vulnerable women and their children in the local community.

The program, funded by the Hilton Effect Foundation, will provide end-to-end support to some of the community’s most vulnerable women. As well as providing safe housing, it will include specialist training and support delivered by partner organizations. The program seeks to ensure that every participant builds the confidence and skills they need to live independently, and each will graduate from the program with a job offer. 

The initial phase of the program will last for two years and will support 10 women. Participants will be matched with specially selected partner organizations, identified based on their ability to support each woman’s individual situation and requirements. 

Marisa Cabellos, president of LligamDona said: “Throughout 2020, LligamDona helped dozens of vulnerable individuals – many of whom had been subjected to violence and have lost confidence in their ability to live independently – to get back on their feet through practical support, skills workshops and training, and emotional support. Thanks to the support of the Hilton Effect Foundation, for the first time, we will be able to provide a holistic program that ensures these women leave our care with a job, as well as increased confidence and resilience.” 

Last October, the Hilton Effect Foundation announced LligamDona as one of its grantees, jumpstarting the development of the new program. Hilton Effect Grants were awarded to 23 organizations across the globe in 2020, aiming to address some of the most urgent humanitarian needs arising from the pandemic including economic security, sanitation/hygiene, food security and clean air and water. LligamDona is the first Spanish organization to receive one of the grants, valued at $30,000. 

Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona has been working to support LligamDona’s mission for a number of years. Last year, the hotel arranged a roundtable event in association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to raise awareness of the growing issue of physical and mental abuse against women. Meritxell Vegué, Technical Director, LligamDona, spoke at the event to highlight the organization’s work. The hotel also helped the organization to redecorate a safe house for women and their children escaping violence. 

“Hilton is committed to having a positive impact on the communities in which we operate. LligamDona’s work within the local community in Barcelona has become even more critical since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused a spike in violence against women, with helpline call volumes increasing 75% during lockdown. The Hilton Effect Grant will help ensure LligamDona can expand their valuable services, ultimately helping more women and their children to rebuild their lives. We’re looking forward to working together to bring this project to life,” said Joachim Hartl, area general manager Iberian Peninsula, Hilton.

For more information on the partnership and its impact, watch this video.

Note to editors: Calls to the Catalan Women’s Institute hotline for victims of violence against women increased by 75% during lockdown compared with the average period.

About LligamDona 

LLIGAM is a non-profit organization based in Barcelona (Spain) that accommodates, accompanies, supports, guides and informs women who cannot access to housing, usually caused by the lack of economic resources and/or a stable social network (family, friends, etc.)

Its objective is that, with the tools offered to them during their stay in their resources, the women attended acquire autonomy in the personal, economic, social and family fields to live in a stable and dignified way with their own resources.

About Hilton Effect Foundation

The Hilton Effect Foundation is Hilton’s primary international philanthropic arm. The Foundation is a nonprofit established in the U.S. and is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization. The Foundation awards grants, in alignment with Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals, that have a positive impact on travel destinations around the world. Foundation grants are awarded throughout the year in accordance with tax and legal requirements. Visit HiltonEffect.org for more information. 

About Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona

Located in one of Barcelona’s most avant-garde neighborhood and mere steps from the beach, the Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona provides a contemporary space for both business and pleasure. Recently renovated rooms and meeting rooms have turned the hotel into a modern, vibrant and dynamic hub designed to attract a broad range of guests, from international business clients to the city’s emerging talents to tourists and local clientele.

The hotel has 433 rooms, including 21 spacious suites, as well as 22 meeting rooms with natural light and equipped to meet a full range of needs, a ballroom with a maximum capacity of 1,000 people, and a wide selection of outdoor spaces to accommodate events for up to 540 guests.

Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona features three mouth-watering dining options: the Purobeach Barcelona Restaurant & Bar from May to October, the lobby bar MA’I and the restaurant AÜRT leaded by the Chef Artur Martínez awarded with 1 Michelin Star and 1 Sol Repsol.