- Last Friday, the Hauspotu, Bizituz programme was presented in Donostia-San Sebastian to deal with the depopulation and decadence suffered by large areas of Euskal Herria through local and transformative projects. The programme has been implemented in cooperation between Udalbiltza, the Koop57 financial institution and the OlatuKoop support network.
In the Basque Country, 83% of the population lives in urban or nearby areas and only 13% live in rural areas, according to the latest data from Gaindegia. The problem of depopulation is serious in some places: in the Navarre Pyrenees the population has fallen by 14% in a decade, in Zuberoa by 4.6% and in the Alavesa mountains by 9%.
This situation is directly related to the availability of services, as concluded in a study conducted by Gaindegia at the request of Udalbiltza: the further the health centers or schools, the greater the loss of population the people suffer.
In Udalbiltza’s view, “if measures are not taken to address this territorial imbalance, the situation will not be reversed”. This institution has put its forces in this direction before, as is the case with the programme of work and life in the Basque Pyrenees. Building on this experience of “positive results”, it has now opted to influence other depopulating regions as well.
Transformative economy as the axis
The Hauspotu, Bizituz program will be launched in the spaces that make up the “laughter” of Euskal Herria. On the map they draw half a circle from the Pyrenees to the Encartación, passing through the center of Navarre and the Alavesa mountain.
To this end, Udalbiltza will have as its allies the agents of the transforming social economy (ESE). The OlatuKoop network will offer technical support by offering training and accompanying days. The first day will take place in Puente la Reina, on 7 February and the registration will be made here.
The aim is to create new projects based on the values of the transformative economy or to enhance those already under way, including agroecology, community housing and other collective initiatives. That is, to promote, through a democratic and participatory organization, projects that do not put capital at the center of life, but put life at the center. Projects will be supported by EkonomKoop57, through micro-credits based on ethical and solidarity finance, totalling EUR 250,000.
Through Hauspotu they want to “give a boost to the peoples who have difficulty in maintaining their services and their inhabitants” and to develop the “awareness” of the territorial imbalance. For people to laugh even in the villages that are depopulating.
Video presentation of the initiative: