The Fundación Síndrome de Down de la Región de Murcia, (Fundown, Down Syndrome Foundation of the Region of Murcia) and UCAM have established a collaboration agreement so that 14 students from the university can participate in the ‘Viviendas compartidas’ (shared housing) programme. This initiative will allow the students to live with Fundown members during the school year in the shared housing that the organisation has at the Centro de la Promoción de la Autonomía Personal (CEPAP, Centre for the Promotion of Personal Autonomy), taking on the role of mediators. 

‘Viviendas compartidas' offers benefits in two ways: on the one hand, the volunteer mediators manage to overcome the stereotypes surrounding people with disabilities and develop values such as solidarity, respect and empathy. On the other hand, this coexistence on equal terms allows Fundown users to face the reality of a home and learn in a practical way what an autonomous life implies, such as decision making or conflict resolution.

This morning, Fundown Manager and President, Pedro Martínez and Rosario Peñalver, together with the UCAM President, María Dolores García, the Ucampacitas Programme Director, Marta Rodríguez, and the Director of the UCAM Chair of Social Responsibility, Víctor Meseguer, visited these homes as part of this collaboration, to get to know the facilities where the initiative is being carried out. 

Rosario Peñalver thanked the UCAM for its interest in the project and praised the importance of this collaboration ‘which is a way of encouraging the social inclusion of our members and promoting values of solidarity among young people’. 

María Dolores García expressed her ‘happiness to learn about this reality and was impressed to discover the dedication of all the people who are part of Fundown’.

Group photo with representatives of the UCAM, Fundown, members of Fundown and their families, and students from Universidad Católica participating in the project.

Long history

This project is a long-standing one in Fundown. ‘Viviendas compartidas', which celebrated its 14th edition last year, has welcomed more than 200 students from different universities and training centres in the Region.

Over the years, learning scenarios have been developed for the preparation and promotion of habits and behaviours that give people with disabilities an active and leading role in the decisions that govern their lives.