The CASAL DELS INFANTS children's association was founded in 1978 in Barcelona's El Raval neighbourhood when a group of local residents and people from other areas of the city decided to take action to combat the serious situation of social exclusion faced by many children. The organisation has been assisting at-risk children, young people and families ever since by defending their rights, creating a community support network and championing education as a tool for social transformation. Today, the Casal dels Infants supports 7,000 children and young people and their families in Barcelona (in the El Raval and El Besòs i el Maresme neighbourhoods), Sant Adrià de Besòs (Besòs–La Mina), Badalona (Sant Roc and Llefià), Santa Coloma de Gramenet (El Raval, Santa Rosa and Fondo) and the municipality of Salt (Gironès). The association also operates in Morocco, where it coordinates a network of sixteen local entities that work to tackle social exclusion among children, young people and women in Tangier, Casablanca and Nador.