A Spanish company makes its equipment available to protect the health of doctors and the elderly during the Coronavirus pandemic
by Lourdes Hercules
Spain is one of the countries currently most affected by the Coronavirus in the whole world. The disease has changed the dynamics of life in families, hospitals, businesses and many other institutions. Some processes have accelerated and others have slowed down.
In the midst of so much darkness, seeds of fraternity and communion flourish even on arid lands. One of these is Francisco 
Toro’s enterprise. "Paco" as his friends call him is an entrepreneur of the conomy of Communion. In 1972 Paco founded a company dedicated to the trade of plant protection products, substances designed to prevent, destroy, repel or combat any parasite or disease.
When the Coronavirus pandemic broke out, Paco and his son felt the desire to do something concrete: they didn't want to just stand by and watch what was happening with their arms crossed.
The virus has forced institutions to take extreme preventive measures, especially in places where the most vulnerable members of the population, such as the elderly, are located. One day his son found out from a doctor working in a nursing home for the elderly that there was a need for protective gear there.
When the company's phytosanitary treatments are applied to plants, people have to use safety suits, which are like those now needed to be protected against the virus while providing assistance to the population. With his more than 40 years on the market, the one thing Paco would never have imagined was that these suits could one day become humanitarian aid. "We had 12 boxes of 50 protective suits each and we distributed them to nursing homes and then to hospitals in Jaén, Andalusia," says Paco. "In a situation of need like this where people get infected for the lack of protective gear, it’s a source of great joy for us to be able to deliver them and thus help protect more people". From a company whose products are created to ensure that the fruits of agriculture are healthy, there emerge the tools to preserve the health of the people most at risk.
Paco emphasizes that, as a company owner, he has rediscovered the value of the things that really matter and tries to continue to work in the best possible way. He emphasises that "the Economy of Communion is totally linked to these signs of solidarity. As an EoC company we try to care for the abandoned and the needy. At the moment the needs are of health protection and we are very happy to be able to collaborate".
Paco concludes: “This crisis has made us rediscover the significance of the person and the company, but also that of fraternity and communion. Moreover, it has been an opportunity for many people to re-activate some values that seem to be dormant but awaken and flourish at times like these".
