Dutch TV programme to focus on foreigners in difficult situations on the Costa del Sol
Media company NPO 2 was on the coast last week to make a documentary about the charities that support foreign senior citizens in need
Tony Bryant
Fuengirola
Friday, 1 August 2025, 11:50
Dutch television company NPO 2 was on the Costa del Sol last week to film an episode of Metropolis, a programme that has been broadcast since 2008. Presented by Dutch journalist Stef Biemans, who is based in Seville, the programme focuses on some of the charities that support foreign senior citizens who find themselves in difficult situations. The channel, which involved the assistance of a SUR in English correspondent, also interviewed several people who are suffering from financial difficulties that need the support of NGOs like Collective Calling and Age Concern, and those who rely on the services of local social kitchens and food banks.
One of the charities they visited was Adintre, the social kitchen in Fuengirola run by Joyce Gyimah Amponsah, who received an Honorary BEM (British Empire Medal) for her services to charity on the Costa del Sol last year. Biemans spent a morning at the facility, which has been providing a daily dining room and shower service to homeless people for 20 years.
The presenter told this newspaper that he decided to make the programme because we "usually only hear about the good side of life on the Costa del Sol".
"We decided to focus on foreigners who live on the Costa del Sol who are finding themselves in difficult situations caused by unforeseen circumstances. We mainly concentrated on Fuengirola, as the problem seems to be bigger in this area. We filmed at Adintre, and Joyce was extremely helpful. She is someone who is very dedicated to helping those less fortunate than most," he said.
The programme will be aired on NPO 2 later this year, and it can also be viewed online almost immediately after the broadcast.
Metropolis is a multimedia project in which local correspondents from around the world provide insights into the lives and lifestyles of foreign residents. At the core of the programme is a network of more than 50 correspondents worldwide. The human-interest programme received the De Tegel Dutch press award , the country's top journalism prize, in the news section in 2010.
