Iguality Launches Social Companionship: A New Way to Build Connection

We are excited to announce the launch of Social Companionship, the newest pillar of our MHPSS programme. While our Individual Therapy and Group Support services focus on clinical and therapeutic care, Social Companionship addresses something equally important and often overlooked: isolation. Many of the people we work with, whether migrants navigating a new country, individuals recovering from difficult life experiences, or simply people who feel disconnected from those around them, share one common need: someone to share time with.

The programme pairs participants one-on-one with a Companionship Volunteer for regular, informal meetups - a coffee, a walk, a museum visit, or simply spending time together. There is no clinical agenda and no professional requirement on either side. What matters is consistency, openness, and genuine human connection. Pairs meet between once a month and once a week, for a minimum of five sessions, with the relationship reviewed and renewed over a period of up to six months.

This initiative builds on something we have seen time and again in our work: that meaningful change rarely comes from a single intervention, but from sustained, trusted relationships. Social Companionship gives both our volunteers and the people we support a low-barrier way to build exactly that, while still being backed by Iguality's coordination, training, and safeguarding structures behind the scenes.

We are incredibly excited to see this programme grow, and we need your help to do it. Whether you have time to give as a volunteer, or know someone who could benefit from a Companion by their side, we would love to hear from you.

• For volunteering in the programme, see: https://iguality.org/act-now/volunteering/become-a-volunteer-companion/
• For requesting companionship, see: https://iguality.org/what-we-do/ourwork-psychosocial-support/

Con la colaboración de Fundación "la Caixa" (Convocatoria de Proyectos Sociales Catalunya 2025)