On Friday 10 March, the Concejala María Echarri Social Services Centre was inaugurated in Madrid. It is located in the Ensanche de Vallecas neighbourhood.
This centre, operated by the Madrid City Council, provides care for people in a situation of vulnerability. It is located on the outskirts of the city, in the district of Villa de Vallecas where there is a mostly working class population and young families.
According to information from the City Council Department of Families, Equality and Social Welfare, this name was chosen to commemorate the person of María Echarri as one of the first female city councillors and all the work she did there. She did much to improve the working conditions of women workers from a Catholic feminist perspective.
The communications office of the head of social services, José (Pepe) Aniorte, explained that he is interested in naming the new municipal resources after women who have played an important role in history, especially if it is in social and equality matters. María Echarri is a good example of this. 
City councellor
María de Echarri (1878-1955), a member of the Teresian Association with an interesting track record in Catholic social activism, was one of the first three women to be a city councillor in Madrid (October 1924). Later (1927-1930) she was a member of the National Assembly elected during the dictatorship of General Primo de Rivera.
It was her work as a journalist and writer and the fact that she was a woman of social action that led her to these positions in Spanish politics. Pedro Poveda, a strong advocate for the advancement and presence of women in society, supported her professional and political career.
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