At the beginning of September, as soon as the course began, the waiting list was suspended for the first time by the Lantxotegi association, which offers training to immigrants from the Region of Pamplona. Their service is overflowing every year, but by 2024 the situation has worsened considerably: many people enrolled in their programme and have only been able to attend to 90, exceeding 250. A fact that undoubtedly praises the work of Lantxotegi, but also reflects a dark context.

The entity has now ratified the grant agreement for next year with the Government of Navarra, but it can be concluded that it is not enough, as has been heard in the hearing of the Committee on Housing, Youth and Immigration Policies. The case of people on the street is even worse,” said Iranzu Urdiroz, a member of Vitas Lantxotegi, in the Foral Parliament.

As EH Parliamentarian Bildu Mikel Zabaleta pointed out in the committee’s presentation, “Lantxotegi has been working for 40 years as a complement to the administration to social problems, providing innovative responses from the Community point of view”. Last year, deep problems were identified with regard to migrant women and the Kimatu programme was launched in Berriozar. There they offer Spanish classes and gardening courses to mothers with dependent sons and daughters.

One of them, Sanae El Achhab, has been in Parliament with the workers of the Lantxotegi plant. A year and three months ago he arrived in Navarre and has since lived in Beltzitze in a community of traffickers in Emmaus. “I started studying at José María Iribarren’s school, but after childbirth I couldn’t continue and Lantxotegi has helped me a lot with the Kimatu project,” he said.

The key to this help is “a nursery that is a respite for mothers, so their children are there while they are studying,” explains Nahia Villarreal, who is responsible for the project. In this way, women are prevented from leaving education after motherhood. In the same sense, “Lantxotegi also takes into account the linguistic level and accordingly organizes student groups”, stressed Mar María Zalduendo, a member of the organization.

However, despite the fact that “this specific resource for women has been created”, among Lantxotegi users “men remain 80%”, said worker Mikel Izurzu. Therefore, in terms of age, they make exceptions for women to “guarantee their participation”. “With men we serve young people between the ages of 16 and 30, we have had to discriminate positively with women and we are much older,” he explained.

Follow-up to the innovative Kabia project

Lantxotegi develops different projects according to the needs of the users in the headquarters of the neighborhood of Azpilagaña and Berriozar. The initiative that has most resonated in recent years has been ‘Kabia’, an initiative that promotes the coexistence of young immigrants and indigenous people, and that calls into question the concept of ‘crews’ characteristic of Basque culture. At the moment, the fourth edition is taking place and thanks to the political support that has been ratified it will be possible to continue doing more, welcoming more crews and more young migrants. In short, once again transcending the meaning of the socialization of training.