"We want to give visibility to a disease that no one is vaccinated against: acquired brain injury."

The Biomedical Engineering students María Carreño and Paula Azqueta have embarked on a solidarity project with the help of Tantaka-Tecnun and the association of Acquired Cerebral Damage of Gipuzkoa ATECE . Specifically, they are organizing a Sand Castle Contest for next April. The goal of the initiative is to make visible a disease of which "nobody is vaccinated", as the students explain.

This festive fun event will be aimed primarily at families in the city, but open to all who want to "spend a nice morning". The students are creating the team and finalizing details such as the price of registration and the location of the contest. At the moment they need volunteers who want to lend a hand. "We need a lot of hands," the students say. It should be noted that the funds raised will go entirely to ATECE.

Q. What is the goal of this initiative?

We are organizing a Sandcastle Contest to give visibility to ATECE and acquired brain injury, which is more common than often recognized, and can affect the brain in a variety of ways, depending on the area affected and the age of the individual.

In groups, participants will have to build a small sand castle. The price for registration will be around five euros, although we are still defining it. Each team will make small castles in the sand and together we will make a very big one. This is in line with what we want to transmit, which is that, together, we can achieve great things.

Do you need more people to lend a hand?

Yes, we need many hands! We look forward to working together with other committed and passionate volunteers. And if anyone is concerned about not fitting in at profile, we want to make it clear that anyone is helpful. In fact, it takes a diversity of talents and skills: entertainment, design, communication, Bursar's Office, marketing, management of sponsors...We all have something to contribute. If anyone is interested in participating in this project you can contact contact with Paula Azqueta.

Why did you decide to organize a Sandcastle Contest?

It has a very special meaning for us. It represents an opportunity to leverage our skills while contributing to a cause that we consider deeply important. We have already done volunteer activities internationally this summer in Tanzania and now, we want to do it locally because we are very sensitized. We see this volunteer activities as an opportunity to grow as individuals and face new challenges.

Is it possible to combine volunteer activities with programs of study?

Many people are concerned about how to balance it. However, we firmly believe that both responsibilities are compatible and complementary. We consider this cause to be so significant that we are willing to make an effort to find a balance to fulfill both commitments in a satisfactory manner.