The Nossa Senhora de Fátima Social Welfare Center, in Olhão, gained new joy this Thursday, May 26, thanks to the visit of a team dedicated to «changing the lives of the participants of its project».
This is the first time of Splash Community Projects in Portugal, who came to Olhão to restore the Centro's playground and build an outdoor community space, with picnic tables and chairs, where the 25 children and young people welcomed there can now socialize.
This will be a day that the children of the Social Welfare Center will never forget. Not only because they gained a new community space, but also because they had the opportunity to live with more than 60 young people from Imperial College Business School, who traveled from London to the Algarve to put this volunteer work into practice, carried out in less than 24 hours.
“We are working to build an important outdoor space for these children. With Covid-19, it has become important to value outdoor spaces and here they have a big place where they can live», begins by explaining Phillip Weeks, responsible for Splash Projects, a company made up of ex-soldiers who have already carried out several jobs in Europe, America or Australia.
"Our mission is, in one week, to change people's lives forever and we know that this makes a difference", continues Phillip, in an interview with Sul Informação.
Although the young people from London only arrived in the Algarve on Thursday, Phillip and three others responsible for the project were from this Monday carrying out work at the center and preparing the entire structure.
«We, the institution, and they, Splash Project, we reached a consensus on what could be done in terms of responding to our young women. We thought of a common space that will provide greater comfort to these girls, who have already had such a difficult life path (and are outside their family contexts) and who, in this way, can enjoy this space», emphasizes Bruno Cantigas, psychologist and member of the Centre's technical team, to the Sul Informação.
For Father Carlos Aquino, president of the Nossa Senhora de Fátima de Olhão Social Welfare Center, this was a work of great importance for the resident community.
“We are deeply grateful, first of all, to the ladies who put us in touch with this project, and to this wonderful team that came with young people willing to give of themselves to other young women. This is very important for these institutions that always struggle very ungloriously for economic reinforcement”, begins by referring to the priest, reinforcing the financial difficulties that the country's IPSS are going through.
It was through Wanda Crawford, one of the representatives of ACCA (Association of Children in Need of the Algarve), that the Center managed to get in touch with the Splash Projects.
Here, at the Nossa Senhora de Fátima de Olhão Social Welfare Center, Wanda is cherished by all who recognize her generosity towards these young women over the last 20 years.
«The generosity of these people is very important, who spontaneously recognize the importance of valuing these children who have every right to be happy. The fact that they are institutionalized can never be a problem for them. The ideal would be to have host families or their own families, but this is not always possible, and that is why these institutions seek to be a family home», continues Father Aquino.
«With this support, we are able to do something more than the usual day-to-day – and this is very important for them», Eliana Santos, a social worker at the Centre, also tells our newspaper.
After many screws tightened and wood sanded and painted, at 17 pm on Thursday, the new community space was ready to be opened and used by the 00 young people who live here.
Now, the next step (and the great desire of all) is to get support for the construction of a swimming pool.
Photos: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação
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