The building in which ADEMPA is setting up a new center for the disabled.

Parla is a typical commuter town some twenty kilometers to the south of Madrid. With its excellent transport links it is home to many people who work in Madrid but cannot afford to live in the capital. In Parla an organization called ADEMPA runs a center for mentally handicapped children. Funding from the Spanish government, the municipal authorities and the families themselves covers the center’s running costs, but there is no money to build an urgently required extension.

This is required in order to offer accommodation to at least 100 of the 200 children currently on the waiting list for a place in the center – and also to expand provisions for young patients aged six and upwards. The existing facilities (320m²) offer physio-, speech- and psychotherapy mainly to infants and children under the age of six. The opening of a further center with nine therapy rooms in September 2010 will mean that a further 100 children over the age of six will be able to benefit from the extensive program. This will not only offer respite to the families concerned but also generate further funding for the center, enabling it to support the poorest families free of charge.

The suggestion that Knorr-Bremse Global Care should support this center came from colleagues at Knorr-Bremse’s subsidiary in Getafe, near Madrid, following an appeal for Knorr-Bremse companies worldwide to put forward proposals. Between them, Merak and Frenos came up with no fewer than eight suggestions, with the idea for this particular project coming from a Frenos employee. The final decision was awaited with bated breath by Spanish colleagues, and, following discussion with Merak and Frenos, ADEMPA was eventually chosen. A Merak colleague is now responsible for monitoring progress, ensuring that a business-like approach is taken and providing ongoing support for the project after completion.

One of the new therapy rooms.

A newly-equipped office.