Prolibertas celebrated its 25th anniversary in Antequera, urging support for the Andalusian Pact against Poverty. The event highlighted a poverty rate of 34.7% in Andalusia, nine points above the national average.
The Fundación Prolibertas marked a quarter century of work for social inclusion on June 26, 2026, in Antequera, where it called for a regional pact to combat poverty. The organization, founded by the Trinitarian Order, has aided prisoners, homeless people, migrants, and families in exclusion since 2001. The ceremony, held at the Town Hall, gathered local authorities, religious figures, and representatives of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Andalusia.
During the event, José Miguel Morales, president of EAPN Andalusia, presented the Andalusian Pact against Poverty and Social Exclusion, a proposal backed by 93 third-sector organizations, public universities, unions, and professional associations. The pact aims to reduce the region's poverty risk rate from 34.7% to 25% and severe poverty from 12.8% to 5% by 2030, according to the latest EAPN report based on INE data.
Morales linked these figures to the message of Pope Leo XIV during his recent apostolic visit to Spain, where he called migration a moral and legal issue and defended human dignity beyond borders. He compared the situation of temporary workers in settlements without water or electricity in Huelva and Almería to the more than 800,000 irregular migrants in Spain.
Mayor Manuel Barón praised Prolibertas' work over the past 25 years and reaffirmed the city's commitment to supporting the third sector. Pedro Aliaga, provincial minister of the Trinitarian Order, described the pact as a tool to fight what he called "the new slavery of the 21st century". The foundation faces its next quarter century with this roadmap, while advocating for the reform of the Immigration Law and an extraordinary regularization process.
The event concluded with a call for broader support from political parties and citizens to endorse the pact. Antequera, home to Prolibertas' headquarters, has become a symbol of the fight against exclusion in Andalusia. The foundation also runs delegations in Algeciras, Córdoba, Granada, Madrid, San Fernando, Sevilla, Alhucemas, and Valdepeñas.
According to the XV Report on the State of Poverty in Andalusia, published in October 2025, the region faces a poverty risk rate 9 points higher than the national average. Severe poverty affects 12.8% of the population, living on less than 644 euros per month. The pact proposes specific measures in housing, employment, and social services to reverse these trends.
Prolibertas' anniversary served as a platform to demand urgent action. "We cannot wait another 25 years," Morales said. "The data is clear: poverty in Andalusia requires a structural response." The organization plans to continue its advocacy while expanding its direct assistance programs.
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