Creating deep-rooted international connections on the eastern Costa del Sol

Sixteen young people from Berlin-based association Laial, which works with refugees and migrants through cultural activities and educational work, visited the Axarquía area of Malaga province from 29 September to 7 October, thanks to an EU Erasmus+ grant. The youngsters, aged between 18 and 30, spent the time with the Eco Axarquia group, through their project Bio Agricultura Maro (BAM), which is based in Maro (Nerja),

In a packed schedule the group visited several projects, took part in theatre, music and even skateboard workshops and visited the gardens of the BAM growers’ organisation. They also helped to construct and improve BAM’s new pick-up point and shop in the Zoco centre in Nerja. The visitors included people originally from Romania, Sudan, Vietnam and Syria and they stayed in bungalows at the El Pino campsite in Torrox.

BAM told SUR in English that about a year ago Elsie, who has lived in Torrox and is a member of the Maro-based association and has links to Laial, came up with the idea to apply for Erasmus funding to create the exchange. Some of the BAM members went to Berlin as part of the same exchange earlier in the month, where they also learned about projects the refugees and volunteers are involved in there.

One of the participants, Ha Phuong, said of the experience in Malaga, “Thanks to various games and exercises led by Jack and Alba, we were able to get to know each other really well, learn about each other’s values and create harmony. There I saw so many different plants that I otherwise only know from Vietnam – avocados, mangoes, guavas. I didn’t know they could also grow in Europe.”

They are now planning to apply for further Erasmus + funding and explain, “We have plans for a bigger exchange between the two associations and two more as well, in Italy and Germany, to create a youth programme that can be replicable and used by other associations in Europe.”

Organisations

SustainConnect is a KA1 Erasmus+ Youth Exchange between Laial (Germany) and Eco Axarquía (Spain), bringing together young people aged 18–30 to explore sustainability, culture, and regenerative living through hands-on learning. The programme includes workshops on eco-construction, food preservation, community building and creative expression, combining rural knowledge with intercultural exchange.

Youth participants gain practical skills, build new connections, and co-create solutions for local and global challenge, while experiencing life in a regenerative community setting.

Bio Agricultura Maro (BAM) is a collective of organic growers in Maro and Nerja which started in 2020 when small-scale local farmers were left without an outlet to sell their products as the pandemic hit. Previously relying on local markets as their main source of income, the individual farmers got together to form their own local collective and support each other. They form part of Eco-Axarquía, which started in 2017 and is an association of organic growers and artisans covering the whole of the Axarquía area.

Laial is a Berlin-based organisation founded in 2018 by young unaccompanied refugees to promote intercultural integration and social change where people from diverse migration backgrounds co-create through art, culture, education, and shared values. The organisation helps young people gain confidence, new perspectives, and alternatives to criminality.

In 2024 they started the Agri-Harbour project, which aims to transition the classical agriculture to permaculture, using the newest information and studies with eyes on collecting the old methods from all cultures. This works in parallel with ‘Gaia’ project, which combines traditional farming knowledge from Africa and the Middle East with European ecological practices.