Badalona retiree Àngela Valeiras has opened her home to two young men evicted from the B9 settlement, demonstrating profound community solidarity.
The retired doctor hosted Serigne Babacar, 24, and Abdou Ngom, 30, for three nights after their displacement.
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“I was guided by my heart in the face of a very desperate situation,” she told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).
Her spontaneous offer of shelter created an instant family unit. Consequently, the two Senegalese men, who barely knew each other, found safety in her small ground-floor flat in central Badalona. They expressed their gratitude by cleaning her home and cooking traditional Senegalese meals before moving to temporary accommodation on Sunday.
Badalona Retiree’s Lifelong Commitment To Helping Others
Àngela’s compassion stems from deep roots. Furthermore, she previously hosted someone affected when Badalona City Council closed the Can Bofí Vell shelter two years ago. Her connection to Senegal is personal, having worked there on a humanitarian project when she was younger. “It’s in my DNA; my mother was a woman who always helped,” she explained.
The scene in her home was one of simple humanity. While Serigne prepared a Senegalese chicken and rice dish with a compatriot she also invited, Abdou sat with Àngela as she treated an infected hand wound he sustained while working with scrap metal. These moments of care defined their 72 hours together.
She visited the plaza where evictees slept the first night after the clearance, intending to help. “I couldn’t leave that place all day,” she recounted. Members of the Senegalese community specifically asked her to assist Serigne, describing him as young and disoriented. That night, witnessing the desperation of the camp, she felt compelled to act.
“It gave me an impulse, and I offered him one night,” she said. Abdou then appeared, needing medical attention for his worsening injury. “I couldn’t leave him there,” Àngela stated. Their stay, though completely improvised, extended through Saturday. She justifies her impulse simply: “I have a roof and can choose what I eat, even if money is tight. They have nothing.”
The men have since moved to a centre set up by various organisations and the Department of Social Rights to house about fifteen vulnerable people from the B9. However, they plan to continue thanking Àngela by helping with household chores. “It brings tears to my eyes. We have so much to learn from them,” she said emotionally, before sharing a farewell Senegalese meal.
Àngela is highly critical of the municipal government’s handling of the B9 situation. She considers the eviction an “irrational” measure that failed to address the root problem that led 400 migrants to live in poor conditions in the old institute building. This act of individual kindness highlights the ongoing challenges of homelessness and migrant integration in the region, a topic frequently covered in local housing discussions.
Her story emerges amidst broader regional tensions, including widespread protests over public service crises. Meanwhile, Àngela’s small grain of sand in the fight against homelessness reminds the community that compassion can flourish even when systemic solutions seem distant.
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