The Generalitat gives €32M in aid abroad while neglecting 75% of poor children

Salvador Illa's government announced this Monday a new contribution of 8 million euros for foreign cooperation. Added to the 24 million allocated to grants for development aid projects, that will already be 32. Meanwhile, in Catalonia, public services are on the verge of collapse and the number of people in need is increasing.

According to the latest survey, in 2024 there were 442,300 children at risk of exclusion in Catalonia and 167,771 at risk of severe poverty. This means that 1 in 3 children in Catalonia is poor or at risk of poverty. This is the highest rate in Europe after Romania and Bulgaria (information taken from El Periódico).

An even more outrageous fact. Despite the waste on cooperation in third countries, 75% of poor minors don't receive the guaranteed income from the Generalitat. 25% of children and adolescents who are poor don't receive any type of social benefit.

However, the Generalitat's government has lines of credit and grants to support children and other needs in Guatemala, Mozambique, Morocco, or Palestine. Not only that, but the Catalan executive is strengthening cooperation with new grants. They're doing so precisely in a context of reversal of aid to cooperation in Western countries, such as the US and Germany.

Catalonia, against the world

Donald Trump took the lead by announcing the drastic cut of aid to NGOs that served as an ideological cover for globalism in third countries. But not only Trump. Countries like Germany and Switzerland have also cut off funding to humanitarian organizations operating in less transparent countries such as Colombia and Palestine.

However, this review of foreign policy is not based solely on ideological approaches, but also pragmatic ones. In Germany's case, the cut in foreign spending aims to cushion the economic recession that is suffocating the country. In other words, in the face of the economic crisis, the German government is prioritizing the care of its citizens.

In Catalonia, on the other hand, there is an increase in contributions for projects in other countries. 8 million may seem little, but in a context of global recession, and with an executive without approved budgets, every euro is vital. Even more so considering the current social context, with poverty increasing and public services on the verge of collapse.

Abandonment of the most disadvantaged

Despite the Generalitat's generosity with other countries, in Catalonia there is a clear abandonment of the most needy. This very Monday, the data on dependency aid became known. Catalonia is the community where the number of people waiting for this aid is growing the most, with 7,972 more people in 2025.

On the other hand, social organizations have reported that most school meal scholarships only cover 70% of the cost in Catalonia, which is where it is most expensive in all of Spain. This means that many families can't afford school meals.

Another gap in the Catalan administration is in the care of minors under guardianship. DGAIA has been overwhelmed and a whole series of deficiencies in the care of these helpless adolescents have come to light. 

The Generalitat has projects underway for minors, feminism, gender violence, and economic development in other countries. But these same vulnerable sectors don't receive the necessary aid in Catalonia due to lack of funds. This is a situation that parties such as Vox and Aliança Catalana have denounced, whom the government accuses of being far-right.