MARCH 2025

Tapas y Alegría 2025

This is an event that requires intense organisation, a significant prior investment and a large mobilisation of volunteers; not easy for an association as small as GAM asbl. However, once again this year, thanks to the support and enormous effort of our volunteers, as well as the attendance, loyalty, trust and dedication of the public and benefactors, we managed to enjoy two days in a row of an event where nothing was lacking: good atmosphere, solidarity, joy, unconditional support for GAM, quality Spanish tapas and drink, as well as a show that once again demonstrated that culture, art and the power of dance are great allies of solidarity and an important link between peoples and communities that, on the one hand differentiates them, but on the other hand unites them at the same time. This is the magic of dance, which permeated the ‘Le Cercle’ hall for two intense and entertaining evenings. Thank you all for your support, your collaboration and your trust. See you at Tapas y Alegría 2026!

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GAM 2025 project in Parkati (Kenya)

The Parkati community is located in the North African region of Samburu County, Kenya. Despite its geographical location within the administrative jurisdiction of Samburu, the community belongs ethnically to the Turkana tribe.  Its territory is characterised as completely arid, with a significant shortage of water resources, exacerbated by a high concentration of saline water in the area, due to its proximity to Lake Lokipi in the Sukuta Valley. The nearest town is Tuum, at a distance of 24 kilometres via tertiary roads that are difficult to access.

With an ethnically homogenous demographic composition, the settlement has a population of approximately 1,500. Their native language is Turkana and they are part of the Nilotic tribes of Kenya.

The economic factor is quite limited due to the remoteness and lack of natural resources in the area. Among the most serious problems facing this community are food insecurity that generates various health risks for the community in terms of nutrition, the mineral composition of the water that causes gastrointestinal problems, endemic diseases such as malaria, and poor housing conditions that jeopardise the welfare of those who live there.

The Parkati community faces a significant challenge due to the lack of adequate space for meetings and community activities. This lack limits the ability of the population to meet, learn, share ideas, make collective decisions to promote growth and strengthen progress. The project that GAM supports in 2025 seeks to solve this problem through the construction of a community hall that will serve as a meeting, training and empowerment centre for all inhabitants. Traditionally, community meetings are held under trees; however, cultural changes, population growth, the relationship with other cultures, and the increase of community activities create the need to establish more adequate and institutionalised structures for local development, as better-equipped spaces are required for study, meetings and gatherings, cultural promotion, and for the organisation of different community events.
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This project emerged as a community initiative. It is worth noting that, from the initial idea, the inhabitants have organised themselves as a community to raise funds for the implementation of the project.