At Horto do Campo Grande, we embrace and develop a policy of support for social welfare institutions, with whom we maintain close relationships throughout the year. At such a special time of year, these bonds were celebrated through simple gestures, intended to bring a little Christmas magic to those who receive them. We believe that our Christmas trees, filled with lights and sparkling ornaments, convey a message of hope for a better future to everyone who turns to these institutions.
Here is a brief introduction to each of the institutions supported this year:
AMI Foundation
“AMI was founded in 1984, with the Human Being at the centre of all its concerns. Since 1987, it has operated in 82 countries around the world, sending hundreds of volunteers and tonnes of aid (medicines and medical equipment, food, clothing, vehicles, generators, etc.). Internationally, AMI develops three main types of interventions: Emergency Missions, Development Missions with expatriate teams, and International Partnership Projects with Local Organisations (PIPOL). It seeks to tailor its work to the characteristics and needs of each context, adopting a phased approach, always with the ultimate goal of making the development process sustainable.
From 1994 onwards, aware of the reality in Portugal, AMI expanded its area of work, aiming to minimise the effects of poverty and social exclusion nationwide. It currently has 15 Social Facilities and Services in the country: 9 Porta Amiga Centres (Lisbon – Olaias and Chelas, Porto, Almada, Cascais, Funchal, Coimbra, Vila Nova de Gaia and Angra do HeroĂsmo); 2 Night Shelters (Lisbon and Porto); 2 Street Teams (Lisbon and Vila Nova de Gaia/Porto); 1 Home Support Service (Lisbon) and 1 food reception hub (Porto).
A third strand of AMI’s work is promoting active citizenship in areas such as associations, training and the environment, encouraging the active participation of young people and adults in concrete projects”
Find out more at: https://ami.org.pt/a-ami/
Gil Foundation
“Since 1999, we have dedicated our work, activities and projects to children’s overall wellbeing, taking a pioneering approach to developing paediatric health and social reintegration projects.
By investing in social innovation, we create waves of change for many children with clinical, social and psycho-emotional vulnerabilities. Only then can we pave the way for each child’s development, exploring new solutions and involving more and more adults and children, parents and children, the State, companies and individuals, in a positive current, a wave of change, where everyone can aspire to inspire the next person.
The Gil Foundation is made of small drops. Just like the biggest wave”
Find out more at: https://fundacaodogil.pt/
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Make-A-Wish
“Make-A-Wish’s mission is to grant wishes to children and young people aged 3 to 17, across the country, with serious, progressive, degenerative or malignant illnesses, giving them a moment of strength, joy and hope. Make-A-Wish works to bring as much joy as possible in fulfilling its mission, always trying to meet the way children think and feel, granting one wish to each eligible child. Believing in the transformative power of a wish coming true, it combines Make-A-Wish®’s work with each child/young person’s creativity, enriching everyone involved with emotions and positive memories.
For a child who is seriously ill, having their wish come true has the power to boost hope—and hope is the most precious value you can give”
Find out more at: https://makeawish.pt/
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Terra dos Sonhos is much more than giving hope
“We are a Portuguese non-profit organisation with the goal of continuously promoting the wellbeing of children, young people and adults through three distinct programmes: Transformative Dreams, Dream Workshop and WeGuide.
We are caregivers who believe there are no impossibilities, and we support every dimension of wellbeing and health—mental, physical, emotional, relational and spiritual.
Through these programmes, we support, care for and empower people, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals. We want to help those who are most vulnerable—whether a child with a serious illness, a young person in care far from their family of origin, or an adult with a chronic illness.
For us, success means impact. And impact means an improvement in the wellbeing of those we support. We are a professional association made up of staff, volunteers, donors, social investors, partners and a community of committed people who, organically, amplify and communicate our work on the ground”
Find out more: https://terradossonhos.org/a-terra-dos-sonhos
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Santa Clara Care Home – Venerable Third Order of St Francis
An institution belonging to the Venerable Third Order of St Francis, dedicated to elderly women, located in Campo Grande, Lisbon, with a maximum capacity of 51 people.
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Baby Bankis
“It is a humanist association, with the value of life at the heart of its work. We have focused our intervention on the beginning of life, which we translate into support for newborns and their families as the natural and fundamental nucleus of our society. We therefore invest in training our human resources, but also parents, so that together we can contribute to the quality of life and wellbeing of our families.
With 30 years of existence, the Association continues to invest in Innovation and Creativity, rethinking the way it operates together with its resources and also in collaboration with other partner institutions, valuing internal skills and creativity, as well as synergies from established partnerships. We always aim to find new and better ways to respond to the social issues we face. That’s how the Home Support Project came about.
Concerns about social justice and a fairer distribution of wealth also led to the creation of the Association—values that still guide the support we provide every day.
We seek to develop our work sustainably, that is, ensuring the Institution’s financial viability, which is why we have developed a strong fundraising strategy alongside our activity plan”
Find out more at: https://bancodobebe.org/sobre-nos/
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Convento dos Cardaes – Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted Association
The Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted Association, based in the former Convento dos Cardaes and a Private Social Solidarity Institution, was founded in 1847 and is dedicated to welcoming people with special needs, including blindness.
“We are a team of Dominican Sisters, technicians, assistants and volunteers who dedicate their day-to-day to these “girls” who would certainly be abandoned or marginalised.
We welcome young women and adult women in a residential home who find in the Association their only home and family.
We want to give them conditions that lead to the joy of living with dignity, wellbeing, autonomy, rehabilitation, social integration and humanisation”
Find out more at: https://www.conventodoscardaes.com/
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EDP Portugal & IPO
It’s great to have caring customers and partners
We’re sharing the two natural Christmas trees that, as mentioned by IPO, “brought colour and light to the area, from the Central Pavilion and the Children’s Park, where children and young people wait for appointments and treatments.” A gift from EDP Portugal, which Horto do Campo Grande supported by providing taller trees, so the magic could reach even further, and which the Christmas team decorated with great care and dedication.
Because solidarity makes magic too!
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© Companhia das Cores for Horto do Campo Grande
