Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Breaking the poverty cycle through Education

ALG’s mission is “Breaking the poverty cycle through Education” and we are always so proud when we receive reports of our children who, despite the adversities, focuses on what matters the most: studying.
Zanela Baloi and Jonas Pedro Ubisse are UPG Portugal Sponsored children at SLM. After classes they attend the After-School Support sponsored by ALG, where Mano Cristóvão organizes reading, writing, mathematics, sciences and civic training activities. Zanela is attending the 4th grade and Jonas is on the 2nd grade and they were both selected as the students who registered more progress, the proof is in their 1st Quarter school results: Zanela has an average of 16 and Jonas an average of 14. We are so happy for them!
Besides the mentioned activities, After-School Support also provides a snack which in addition of promoting class attendance also enables children to study without feeling hungry.

ALG finances 2 After-School Support classrooms, in SLM and SVP, with an annual cost of 1300£ per class or an average of  per child, per year, and benefits 257 students.

Friday, June 24, 2016

ALG School Feeding Programme

Muchaque Vuma is 8 years old and he attends the SLM school during the morning period.  In his day to day life he’s a poor but happy child. Although not being included in the UPG Portugal Sponsoring Programme, Muchaque is one of the 800 children benefiting from the School Feeding Programme which provides 1 daily meal to every student in SLM.

In the beginning of the year he was thin and weak. The draught has seriously affected the Chokwé district families. Agriculture is the main source of income for these families and the lack of water is very damaging.
Now Muchaque is revealing a good development and sound health. Sometimes he has lunch at school and not at home. He enjoys SLM meals a lot because he can eat a bit more than at home.

ALG’s School Feeding Programme was born out of an emergency response after the 2013 floods which devastated the Chokwé region. Since then ALG has been making a huge effort to raise funds to maintain this project. Despite the high costs the positive impact is even higher. Within a poor and vulnerable context, aggravated by the huge draught, the School Feeding Programme has been affected not only by the price increase of local produce but also by the number of children benefiting from it – for most of them this is their only meal of the day.


With the help of everybody and with 5€ a month ALG can provide a free daily meal and alleviate the hunger of children like Muchaque.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Join us this June for the ALG Quiz Night #5

In advance of the well-deserved summer break, ALG is preparing the fifth edition of our fun-filled Quiz Night. What better way to celebrate the summer and the holiday season than gathering a group of friends and putting your knowledge to a good cause!

On Tuesday, the 12th July at 7pm (for a 7.30pm start) join us at the Italian restaurant Rosso Pomodoro Chelsea for a Quiz Night to raise funds for the SLM School Feeding programme in Mozambique.

Your participation in this event will finance the schools meals  of c. 800 kids, aged 7-18 years old. Each ticket costs £35 per person and includes:
  • £15 for a 3-course Italian dinner
  • £20 for a contribution to the SLM School Feeding programme (5 children eating a FULL month!)
Create your own winning team (up to 6 people including yourself) so you can take home one of our quiz prizes.
If you are by yourself or with a smaller group of friends, ALG will ensure you will be included in a great team.

Buy tickets for you and your friends NOW for a night of great fun where your “Little Gesture” will go a long way!

We look forward to seeing you there!
The ALG Team
Buy Your Ticket

July 2016

12

Tuesday

@ Rosso Pomodoro
Fulham Road

Cant be there? Make a donation!
A daily nutritious meal for 800 kids in the SLM School 

The ALG feeding programme alleviates hunger and brings poorer children to school, while promoting gender equality.

In Quiz Night #4, ALG raised funds to build a canteen in the SLM School where c. 800 very poor children, aged 7-18 years old, would have dignified conditions during lunchtime. Finishing touches are being made this week!

In this edition, ALG is raising funds to finance the SLM School feeding programme which secures a free daily meal that fights child hunger, incentivises education and reduces gender inequality.

With just £41 per year a child receives a daily nutritious hot meal, which sometimes is their only meal during the day. This program costs ALG £34’289 in 2016 on its fourth year running. Better-fed, healthier children have better academic performance and are less likely to drop-out of school. The last quiz raised £2'255 - will we beat this number together?

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

The dream come true - Eduardo

Our Scholarship Holder Eduardo is in the final semester of his Physics Teaching Degree which has been partially sponsored by PLEN a Portuguese Law Firm. As per usual he sends us a few words of appreciation.


"Hello! Once again I’m thankful to the group that has provided me a great support to make my dream come true. I’m just about to obtain my degree, and I’m sure that without their help I wouldn’t be here today. I hope this help continues after I achieve my goal, since there are so many like me needing a helping hand. I thank everyone who tirelessly fought day and night to raise funds to help me, they we’re precious and transformed my academic life. Today, despite not having yet concluded my degree I feel many changes occurred regarding my professional life. With the knowledge acquired I’m able to overcome several obstacles in my working environment and to make teaching more comprehensible and creative. I thank all the ALG family for everything they have achieved on my behalf and I repeat – without your help I wouldn’t be where I am now. A warm embrace to the PLEN - the law firm and to all ALG family."

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Larito - meet another of our small heroes!

Larito when joining the Center in April 2016
Larito is 8 years old, orphaned on the mother’s side and his father lives in South Africa. He lives with his 17-year old sister and his 10-year old brother Miguel. Miguel was well-known in our Santa Luisa Marillac school in Manjague as he was part of the SLM HIV Day Care centre in 2015. There he benefited from a comprehensive support including an extensive meal plan, medical care and study tutoring. As he skipped classes too often, he ended up dropping out of both the centre and sc

hool classes in SLM. 
The Vicentine Sisters in SLM decided to include Larito in our Sponsorship programme In October, securing access to education and a monthly food basket. As his presence on school grounds was still very erratic, the Sisters added him to their list of regular domicile visits to the neediest families in their congregation. 
Earlier this year, during their family visits, the Vicentine Sisters found the young Larito very weak, neglected and with some evidence of domestic violence. The two older brothers were never not home during the day as his sister tries to sell some produce in the market and the brother helps a local goat shepherd. Larito was left on his own, home alone or roaming the streets. 



Larito, May 2016


While Larito does not have HIV, he was so vulnerable that the Sisters decided to take him under the HIV center. he also entered a Police reference list that tries to control school assiduity and track children with signs of abuse. With the enforced meal plan at the centre (4 meals a day), daily baths, clinical support by peadiatrician Sister Flora and its of love&care, Larito has become a happy and healthy child. He started attending school classes daily and finished his first term of Year One with an average of 16. 
ALG is so proud of our Little Heroes!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

We were very sad to receive the news that Sister Lidia Pancera, our extraordinary Local Partner in SLM until her sickness absence in 2015, passed away yesterday with cancer. 
Sister Lidia was and will continue to be a reference for the work of ALG in mozambiqye, through her total dedication to the children, families and underpriviliged communities in Mozambique. It was such a privilege to work with such an amazing Local Partner!


Thank You Sister Lidia for all the tenderness and dedication to the children in the Santa Luisa Marillac school. And thank you for all the projects - School Feeding, HIV Center, After Class Support, Technical Courses, Family Huts, Child Sponsorship and her more recent dream, a new School Canteen - that allowed ALG to bring a Great Help to the region of Majangue in Mozambique.