Begoña Arana Álvarez (La Línea de la Concepción, Cádiz, 1985) graduated in Social Work and has a degree in Criminology and Public Safety from the University of Cádiz. She has completed various postgraduate studies related with social services, public safety and conflict resolution. From the age of 17, Begoña has worked with the most disadvantaged people, dedicating much of her time to searching for alternatives to improve life for those most in need, in places such as Algeciras Penitentiary Centre and as a member of the Campo de Gibraltar child and youth protection team.

Begoña is the director of Nuevo Hogar Betania, a non-profit association set up in 2011 whose mission is to welcome anyone who finds themselves in a situation of social exclusion, such as homeless people, inmates and former inmates, immigrants, women who have been the victims of human trafficking, etc. The winner was chosen for “her social commitment from a very early age, which she complemented with a process of training that has provided her with tools to improve the situation that surrounds her.”

The jury also highlighted “her management capacity and resilience in rebuilding a resource, Nuevo Hogar Betania, aimed at generating opportunities in a highly vulnerable socioeconomic context, and in a historic moment that calls for model spaces where people can come together and feel part of a more dignified and just world.”