At Horto do Campo Grande, we have adopted and developed a policy of supporting social action institutions, with whom we maintain close relationships throughout the year. In such a special season, these bonds are celebrated through simple gestures, intended to bring a little Christmas magic to those who receive them. We believe that our Christmas trees, full of lights and glittering ornaments, convey a message of hope for a better future to all those who turn to these institutions.
Here is a brief presentation of each of the institutions supported this year:
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AMI Foundation
“AMI was founded in 1984, with the Human Being at the center of all its concerns. Since 1987, it has operated in 82 countries around the world, having sent hundreds of volunteers and tons of aid (medicines and medical equipment, food, clothing, vehicles, generators, etc.). Internationally, AMI develops three main types of interventions, namely, Emergency Missions, Development Missions with expatriate teams, and International Projects in Partnership with Local Organizations (PIPOL), seeking to adapt its actions to the characteristics and needs of the context, adopting a phased intervention for this purpose, always with the ultimate goal of the sustainability of the development process.
From 1994, aware of the reality in Portugal, AMI expanded its area of activity, aiming to minimize the effects of poverty and social exclusion in the national territory. As such, it currently has 15 Social Facilities and Responses in the country, namely 9 Porta Amiga Centers (Lisbon – Olaias and Chelas, Porto, Almada, Cascais, Funchal, Coimbra, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Angra do Heroísmo); 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 aspect of AMI’s work is the promotion of active citizenship in the areas of associations, training, or the environment, promoting the active participation of young people and adults in concrete projects.”
Find out more at: https://ami.org.pt/a-ami/
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Gil Foundation
“Since 1999, we have dedicated our actions, activities, and projects to the global well-being of children, in a pioneering attitude in the development of pediatric 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 in this way can we pave the way for each child’s development, setting out to discover new solutions and involving more and more adults and children, parents and children, the State, companies, and individuals, in a positive current, in a wave of change, where everyone can aspire to inspire the next person.
The Gil Foundation is made of small drops. Just like the largest of waves.”
Find out more at: https://fundacaodogil.pt/
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Make-A-Wish
“Make-A-Wish’s mission is to grant the wishes of children and young people, aged 3 to 17, throughout the national territory, with serious, progressive, degenerative, or malignant diseases, providing them with a moment of strength, joy, and hope. Make-A-Wish works with the aim of enabling the greatest possible joy in fulfilling its mission, trying in this way to always meet the way children think and feel, granting a wish to every eligible child. Believing in the transformative power of granting a wish, it combines the work of Make-A-Wish® with the creativity of each child/young person, enriching all parties involved with positive emotions and memories.
For a child who is seriously ill, the fulfillment of their wish has the power to boost hope, and hope is the most precious value that can be provided.”
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 organization with the aim of continuously promoting the well-being of children, young people, and adults through three distinct programs: Transformative Dreams, Dream Workshop, and WeGuide.
We are caregivers who believe that nothing is impossible and we facilitate all dimensions of well-being and health – mental, physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual.
Through these programs, we accompany, care for, and empower people, families, caregivers, and health professionals. We want to help those who are most vulnerable, whether it’s a child with a serious illness, a young person in foster care away from their family of origin, or an adult with a chronic illness.
For us, success means impact. And impact represents an improvement in the well-being of those we accompany. We are a professional association composed of employees, volunteers, donors, social investors, partners, and a community of committed people who, organically, amplify and communicate our field work.”
Find out more: https://terradossonhos.org/a-terra-dos-sonhos
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Lar de Santa Clara – Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis
An institution belonging to the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis dedicated to elderly women, located in Campo Grande, Lisbon, with a maximum capacity of 51 people.
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Banco do Bebé
“It is a humanist association that has the value of life at the center of its action. We have oriented our intervention towards the beginning of life, which we translate into support for newborns and their families as the natural and fundamental core of our society. We therefore invest in the training of our human resources but also of parents so that together we can contribute to the quality of life and well-being of our families.
With 30 years of existence, the Association continues to invest in Innovation and Creativity, rethinking its way of acting together with its resources and also in collaboration with other partner institutions, valuing internal skills and creativity, but also the synergies of the partnerships established. We always intend to find new and better ways to respond to the social issues we face. This is how the Home Support Project came about.
Concerns for social justice and a more equitable distribution of wealth also gave rise to the creation of the Association, values that continue to be the guiding principles of the support we provide daily.
We seek to develop our actions in a sustainable way, that is, ensuring the financial viability of the institution, 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 – Association of Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted
The Association of Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted, based in the former Convento dos Cardaes and a Private Institution of Social Solidarity, 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 daily lives to these ‘girls’ who would certainly be abandoned or marginalized.
We welcome young people and adults in a residential home who find their only home and family in the Association.
We want to provide them with conditions that lead to the joy of living with dignity, well-being, autonomy, rehabilitation, social integration, and humanization.”
Find out more at: https://www.conventodoscardaes.com/
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EDP Portugal & IPO
It’s good to have supportive customers and partners
We share the two natural Christmas trees that, as mentioned by the IPO, “brought color and light to the area of the Central Pavilion and the Playground, where children and young people wait for consultations and treatments. A gift from EDP Portugal, which Horto do Campo Grande supported by providing taller trees so that the magic could reach even further, and which the Christmas team decorated with great care and dedication.
Because solidarity also makes magic!
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© Companhia das Cores for Horto do Campo Grande
