Our story

All this is what we have achieved

Our story through time

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1998

2003-2004

A group of Christian believers from the Nueva Vida Evangelical Church, led by Julio García Celorio, felt the need to take the ministerial activities they carried out within the church further.

At that time, the aim was to respond to the demands made by relatives of people in prison who were asking for help for the inmates, as well as to support prostituted women and women who suffered gender-based violence.

This situation required a planned and structured response. This is how the Evangelical Association Nueva Vida was born.

Since then and until now we have worked hard in collaboration with local, regional and state administrations.

In 2003, in the framework of the 25th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution, we received recognition for our work in collaboration with prisons.

In 2004, Pastor Julio García Celorio was elected president of the Board of Directors, a position he continues to hold today.

2005

2006

The association began to become more professional, with experts in different areas of activity.

This is when comprehensive care projects for people at risk of social exclusion began to be implemented.

The Government of Cantabria proposes our first agreement for comprehensive care for female victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

This line of action is closely linked to the work that has been carried out by the entity since the beginning.

The other line of work that distinguished the organization in the regional context at that time was Social Intervention in the prison environment.

Both programs remain the organization's flagship programs today.

In November 2006, a second agreement was signed with the Government of Cantabria for the development of the Reception Program for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors, which led the organization to grow in terms of care centers, users and hired personnel. This program continued until 2012.

2008

2009-10

An agreement is signed with the Secretary of Penitentiary Institutions through which the entity participates in the development of Sentence Completion Programs with work for the benefit of the community, integrating users into the organization's activities.

Our relationship with the Fundación La Caixa begins, which significantly financed the remodelling of the reception resource for prisoners and ex-convicts, located in Renedo de Piélagos.

This year marks the beginning of the agreements with the Santander City Council.

The first of them was the Social Support Program at the Princesa Letizia Shelter, which we are continuing to work on today.

The second agreement, for the Management of temporary residential care flats for families in emergency situations, was maintained until 2017.

2011

2012

The Government of Cantabria commissioned us to manage the Center for attention to victims of gender violence.

An agreement is signed with the Fundación La Caixa begins to be the social entity that manages Programa REINCORPORA for the social and labor integration of prisoners.

In 2012, the INCORPORA Program was added, aimed at the unemployed population in general.

That same year, the entity received the Social Volunteering Award granted by Diaconía España, a platform for Protestant social work.

2013

2014

In 2013, the REINCORPORA mental health pilot program was implemented.

The The Ministry of Equality and Social Services subsidized the Comprehensive Care Program for women victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, signing at that time a collaboration agreement that we maintain and expand to this day.

We received the first grant from European Funds, together with EMCAN, to develop the job insertion project called PIE: Get active and start

We also received the first state subsidies from IRPF, which mainly consolidate social intervention programs in the prison environment.

2015

2016

2017

We signed an the General Secretary of Penitentiary Institutions an agreement with Program for the reception of conditionally released prisoners and another for the development of Intervention programs in gender violence.

The INCORPORA training center was also launched in collaboration with the Fundación La Caixa.

The Alicia Gordon Gulick Program was born for the detection and prevention of HIV in places where prostitution is practiced.

The The Ministry of Employment and Social Security granted us two programs for the Care of asylum seekers and international protection, making a challenge, a growth and a new commitment.

2018

2019

2020

In 2017 we received recognition for our commitment and involvement from the El Dueso Penitentiary Centre. Likewise, Elisabet Justamante, co-founder of the entity, received recognition for her voluntary work within the Break the Chain programme, awarded by Diaconía.

In 2018, the first resource was launched in Cantabria for the comprehensive care of women victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation with minor children in their care.

A year later, in 2019, the organisation opened a centre to welcome refugees in Arrigorriaga, in the Basque Country.

During the pandemic, the organization was expanding its services with extraordinary staff and resources.

During the state of emergency, two shelters for homeless people were temporarily set up.

2021

The entity promotes Walking towards Housing First, a project that collaborates with the Government of Cantabria and that offers a housing solution and social care to homeless people.

Likewise, with funding from the Government of Cantabria and the City Council of Santander, we prepared two Reports on Homelessness in Santander and Cantabria.

That same year, together with the Cantabrian company AUSTRAL Sport, the entity launched Nueva Vida Textile, a training and job placement project aimed at people at risk of social exclusion.

After 23 years developing social care programmes in Cantabria, the organisation has opened an office in Bizkaia with services and resources aimed at refugees and women in prostitution contexts.

2021

2022

We opened a branch in the Balearic Islands, where we began to develop a Program to assist women in prostitution contexts.

Thanks to funding from the Santander City Council, the entity conducted a report on prostitution in Santander for the first time.

For the first time, the Government of Cantabria subsidised the implementation of a Community Information and Awareness Programme on homelessness.

For the first time, the entity received a grant from the Ministry of Equality to implement an awareness-raising programme on trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

2022

2023

2024

At the end of 2022, the entity took a qualitative leap thanks to the trust placed in our work by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

We became one of the 24 entities in Spain that has an agreement with the State for the management of resources for refugee reception.

This translated into a greater number of people served, as well as the creation of new jobs from 2023 onwards.

We consolidated social care programs aimed at prisoners, women in prostitution, applicants for international protection and homeless people.

We will keep telling our story!