Acknowledgements

My boss and friend, Jesús Abio Villarig, taught me many things. There is no doubt that he was a great teacher, a person who inspired me to be better every day. From him I learned so many things that it is difficult to name them all.

I must say that he too is a pillar of this Foundation. We thought of the idea together, and shortly before his death he founded the Abio Foundation which, as destiny would have it, did not prosper, but his idea was rescued through the Soysol Foundation, to include in the latter the foundational aims of the former. It is true that the Abio Foundation did not prosper because most of its patrons really had no intention of investing their energy in the project, and situations arose between them that made working together inviable, but what is clear is that it is the basis for the Soysol Foundation.

I would like to say many things about Jesús Abio, but what I most liked about him was his deep trust in people, the fact that he knew how to enjoy life despite working extremely hard, that he treated everybody in a very human and close way while never feeling superior to anybody, that he was open to cultural differences and respected them and that, despite the errors he might have committed, he was able to discover that, in the end, the only thing that matters is Love. Before he died, he wished his money to serve the aims of this project; however, egos prevented this from happening, but we trust that life will set everything in its place, and that the money will end up doing people good as he wished. Jesús Abio supported me in many ways and I could count on him unconditionally in different situations. He always helped me and lent me a hand whenever I needed it, and his trust made me big, although I often felt small. Thank you, Jesús. I hope to see you again one day in heaven or on earth, wherever God deems that we should meet again.

Pilar Novoa – Founder of Soysol