“Supporting Calabrian women is not only an institutional duty, but an absolute priority of our project of civilization and regional growth. We want to transform everyday challenges into opportunities for professional autonomy and serenity, responding with facts and concrete resources to those who ask for tangible commitments for gender equality”. With these words, the regional councilor for Welfare, Social Inclusion and Equal Opportunities, Pasqualina Straface, announces the important advancement of the ‘Concilia’ project, a key initiative of the PR Calabria Fesr Fse+ 2021/2027 regional programming. The intervention provides a total financial allocation of 7,030,167.75 euros spread over the years 2025, 2026 and 2027, with the aim of structurally breaking down the barriers that still hinder women’s full participation in the labor market.
In line with executive decree no. 6428, the Administration has already defined the operation of the vouchers for the 2025 year, for which the first 3,500,000.00 euros have been committed. This first financial tranche already sees 737 eligible and financeable applications submitted by workers who will thus be able to benefit from direct support to manage the delicate balance between life and work times. “We are deeply aware – underlines councilor Straface – that conciliation is the critical point for female employment. For this reason, in addition to giving an immediate response to this first block of over seven hundred families, we are already working on the notice for the second window relating to the 2026 year, guaranteeing continuity and certainty of support for the entire three-year period”.
The “Concilia” project stands out for the breadth of its support network: the vouchers are intended for the purchase of services for children under 18 and for the assistance of children or dependent family members with disabilities, provided by authorized entities and authorized structures. Eligible services include babysitting and baby-parking services, community centers for children, summer activities offered by schools and institutes, and learning support services such as individual lessons, family educators and tutors for strengthening in conditions of neurodiversity. Great attention is paid to non-self-sufficiency with the financing of socio-therapeutic centers for the disabled, home care (including the figure of a carer or nursing assistance) and transport and accompaniment services via the ‘social taxi’.
“Every Calabrian woman forced to choose between work and family represents a loss of talent that our territory can no longer afford – concludes Pasqualina Straface -. Through the Calabria Europa platform we ensure maximum transparency in every phase of the publication of the rankings and the provision of benefits. We are building a welfare system that does not offer simple subsidies, but real tools of freedom: help that reaches the homes and lives of citizens, demonstrating that our Region is a laboratory of social innovation and real equality”.