As Europe continues to be subsumed by the COVID-19 crisis our members are showing why social justice must be among the priorities for our politics and our economies. Daily we are seeing how essential well-funded and quality social and health care services are to our well-being as a society. We are seeing the continued and increased commitment of our staff and volunteers to the people they serve and support.
Yet, traditionally, the social and health care services sector has been undervalued and under-resourced. What has often been thought of as low-skilled work is now being seen as critical to our abilities to address global pandemics, yet in many countries, the sector is not getting the assistance it needs. Our members have started to launch public fundraising campaigns to keep this needed work going at this time – to pay for additional staff, for additional equipment and to increase capacity. Members are confronted with increasing demands for food aid, for family support and for meeting the basic needs of vulnerable people but at the same time funding for programmes such as work integration services, social inclusion and assistance have been suspended. This is not acceptable.
This week the European Union agreed a large funding package drawn from existing EU funds to address some of the impact of COVID-19 on our societies but no support has been seen for the work to ensure our social services are able to do what is needed. No funding has been foreseen to ensure that those most affected by the crisis are prevented from falling into poverty and that those in already vulnerable and precarious situations are given security. We know that the situation is changing every day and we read and hear positive messages from European leaders but this must be backed up with actions to ensure that organisations who work for social justice, such as the members of Eurodiaconia, are supported and resourced appropriately. We will continue to engage with the European institutions in the coming days to find ways that this can be done.
But we cannot have a ‘one-off’ response. This is the opportunity to see how our understanding of social justice and social care needs to go to the heart of our economic and political thinking. We need a paradigm shift in our understanding of what makes societies and people flourish – not only economic well-being but social well-being – and they cannot be in competition with each other – they do not need to be in competition with each other – one can reinforce the other.
Thank you to all of you who are working – as volunteers and as staff – at this time. You are showing why what Diaconia does is essential and why it needs to be at the heart of our development as a society. You are valued and you are essential.
Have a good weekend,
Heather