On the island, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, there are thousands of families with children who cannot afford a holiday. A holiday intended as leisure and experience outside of everyday life, sharing between parents and children, an educational moment for children. «Many families are not even able to take a weekend away from home even while staying in Sardinia», warns Mauro Carta, regional president of the ACLI. «Just look at who, starting from June, is booking in the tourist facilities: these are foreign families coming from the Peninsula».
Spending cut
It is precisely the holiday, together with the children's gym and the weekly outing to the pizzeria, one of the first expense items cut away to make ends meet at home. An obligatory choice for an ever-increasing number of families impoverished by the repercussions of inflation and the need to save in order to be able to access a specialist visit or diagnostic test in good time. But how many families are there in Sardinia who never take a holiday? Cross-referencing the Istat data, those of Sardegna Statistiche and Openpolis, which dedicated a detailed focus to the topic in 2023, we are talking about 49,051 families with one child (i.e. 34.7% of families of this type), and just a little less than 50 thousand families with two or more children. Numbers which in reality could be much higher if we evaluate the economic conditions. Just to give a few examples, in Quartu 29.33% of families have an ISEE under 10 thousand euros; 34% in Marrubiu; 29% in Carbonia; 35% in Villacidro; 26% in Cagliari; 27% in Nuoro.
The possible alternatives
«Numbers that make us reflect», says the president of the ACLI. «Beyond not being able to afford the expense of a holiday, even if it is short, for many parents it becomes difficult to even cover the cost of one or more months of summer camp for their child, especially if they have numerous children. So, if the Municipality doesn't integrate the fee, we end up having to give up this opportunity for the kids too." The Acli have created a network of non-profit associations to support the Municipalities that operate throughout the regional territory. For example, the “ASD smile project” operates between Cagliari and Quartu. Maria Ciaccio is the president of this amateur sports association which deals in particular with the inclusion of fragile children in the peer group.
