Day 20: Full bellies always learn better

In 2016, ALG strengthened the After-School Support snack at SVP (São Vicente Paulo school), an after-school programme providing a much-needed academic support to UPG Portugal sponsored children. In a year of huge draught and shortage, our meals were reinforced with rice and beans.

Because this initiative was so successful, in 2017 we asked  to continue providing this help! ALG began by providing 2 meals per week in After-School Support, varying between beans and greens. In return we have healthier and more motivated children, eager to learn more, and even bigger smiles!

With £2'575 in SVP – average £11 student/year – ALG finances instructors to provide after school support mainly for the subjects of Maths and Portuguese, occasional school materials and lunch – a key factor to ensure attendance

At SLM this programme has an annual cost of £564, providing only a snack – at this school children already benefit from free lunch with the ALG School Meals Programme.

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Day 19: Margarida Mundlovo: a Mummy from Santa Luísa’s

In mid-February, our SLM local technician Orcídio informed us that Margarida Mundlovo was pregnant. Usually this is followed by a communication informing us that the future mom is going to abandon school.

But Margarida immediately revealed a willingness to continue studying, with a small interruption when the baby is due, of course.  In Mozambique it is not common, nor well accepted, to have pregnant young ladies studying. Margarida entered the UPG Sponsoring programme in 2011 and we take Margarida’s willingness to continue studying as our own. Together with the Vincentian sisters, ALG Local partners in Santa Luísa de Marillac, we incentivise Margarida's continuation of studies!

It was a success! JEMILIO was born of the 14th of May and a few days later Margarida was already back in school. Mom is providing a huge help with the baby and her Portuguese Sponsors, thrilled with the news, besides supporting Margarida are also providing formula for little Jemilio!

A story with a happy ending. We believe these little gestures and this change of mind set will help other young moms! 

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Day 18: Children at the Day Care Center "kick" the disease every day

Because the days at the HIV Day Care Centre in Sta. Luisa Marillac can and should be fun, this year ALG decided to give a different present to these children who live with such a dramatic disease - HIV. We decided to build a football field with the support of British Foundation the Egmont Trust who tries to mitigate the suffering of children affected by HIV. When the new footballs arrived, the joy was contagious among children and adults!

SLM HIV Day Care Centre is ALG’s newest project. In this region, hugely affected by this disease, the centre provides personalised care to 32 children living with HIV/AIDS: adequate meals, medication control and constant medical support. With £499 per year - £45/month per child in 2017 – we provide a healthier and dignified childhood to our little ones!

Children at the centre still live with the virus but they are stronger, healthier, fit to study and more importantly... they are loved and very, very playful.

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Day 17: Thank you to all the companies that joined us in 2017

ALG and UPG Portugal are so proud of having several Solidary and Friendly Companies in Portugal. Since day one PLMJ has provided us precious legal support. We have new initiatives dedicated to UPG such as a NUD with word search puzzles. Caia launched the gorgeous Solidary Caia.  Mii displays our clutches on their stands. Multicert is raising funds internally for UPG with lots or creativity. We cannot forget SETH, responsible for financing a large portion of the School Meals Programme benefiting 800 children on a daily basis, Ribacapital who promotes Merit Scholarships at EFI, and StepAhead responsible for revolutionising our management skills through its SalesForce ... so many initiatives, so many ways of helping us and our children.

We would also like to highlight ALG/UPG friendly schools, always present with enthusiastic children, who are our biggest ambassadors, stimulating our campaigns!

Each company or school, in their own way, choose how to support us and their favourite projects. A Great THANK YOU to all of them!

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Day 16: The best events ever are with UPG Portugal

UPG Portugal love to create new partnerships with generous institutions and individuals who open their doors and hearts to raise awareness and funds.

This February, UPG Portugal was one of the four institutions supported by the Portuguese National Ballet Company through their Solidary Dress Rehearsal, offering us 200 invitations for the play “ITMOI – IN THE MIND OF IGOR”.

With this opportunity UPG Portugal managed to raise £2’100, inviting a total of 164 spectators with a donation of £13 per ticket. The amount raised during this event was fully applied in one of our most ambitious projects – School Meals at Stª. Luísa de Marillac, Mozambique. This project feeds 900 children every day. We would like to thank the amazing CNB’s corps de ballet who managed, from such a long distance, to bring some magic to the lives of our children in Mozambique.

In the same month, we had another successful solidary initiative this time with Life Training, jointly with APDP (Portuguese Academy for Personal Development). The event “Inspiration for a magical life” was developed with the purpose of inspiring Portugal, and revealing the "formula to access a magical life ", during a dynamic and fun seminar.

In total we raised £1´500 which were also applied in the School Meals Programme in Stª Luisa de Marillac.

Thank you to all who joined us in such inspiring events.

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Day 15: At the HIV Day Care Center Rafael hopes for a better future!

Rafael is 16^th years old and joined the HIV Centre in 2014. He is orphaned on his father´s side and lives with his grandmother and an uncle that is mentally impaired.

He was always a very active boy and sometimes a bit rebellious as he preferred playing instead of studying. His grades were kept at just-about reasonable levels with some negative grades until in 2016 he did not pass his school year 5. 

Over 2017 Rafael seems to have learned his lesson. Sister Cardica sees great improvement in this child not only in academic terms but also in his behavior. He delivered no negative grades in his 1^st term and has good records in behavior at both the Centre and in the SLM School, with the Sisters and with his colleagues.

These last months have seen him evolve very positively – he still keeps a smile on his face and is very playful with his friends but he is also showing

The SLM HIV Centre provides a complete and personalized programme for HIV/AIDS infected children, on a day care basis, ensuring adequate nutrition, medication and constant medical assistance. This comprehensive support has a cost of £45/ month per infected child. The aim is to alleviate local poverty and provide a more dignified and healthy childhood to seriously ill children. 

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Day 14: A year growing with ALG!

Our sister charity Sponsoring Programme “Growing with UPG” is a continuity programme focused on Education.

At Escolinha do André children enter this programme from the 6th grade onwards, as soon as they start attending State schools.

We believe this change and this direct accountability enable us to monitor children more closely. We are also able to provide a more customised support when, during difficult stages, many children consider abandoning school. At local level, Technician Helder Machel and Coordinator Hilário Langa secure direct communication with the youngsters!

The Sponsoring Programme annual fee finances: enrolment fees, school supplies, education expenditures, uniforms, and also extra health care support and/or hygiene as necessary. 

Last August, to the usual school supplies and hygiene items, we added a significant amount of food supplies. It was with immense joy that we managed to add this complement which helps and incentivises children, who dream with a professional career and with a different life, to proceed with their studies! Like us, they believe they can make a difference!

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Day 13: We have a seamstress… and a good one!!

This year one of ALG’s main bets has been financing technical courses in S. Vicente Paulo (SVP) and Sta. Luísa Marillac (SLM) schools, both in the Chokwé region. With the firm belief that these courses represent a tool to break the poverty cycle, ALG promotes after-school local technical and professional courses, aimed at underprivileged youngsters, who frequently abandon their academic education.

This summer, ALG celebrated an official agreement with ISPELAC, a government body that supports technical and professional training, to develop courses in SVP school. Besides being open to the local community, these courses are made available to UPG Portugal Sponsored children in SVP and in the neighbouring school of SLM. Initially, ALG financed the electricity courses and we just launched another phase. Now, we have electricity and sewing courses which thrilled Fina - one of UPG’s sponsored children!

Fina Julio Macaze, attends the 8th grade and her favourite subject is History. Like many other children, her dream is to be a policewoman. In her free time, and from a tender age, she loves designing paper clothes for her dolls and to help her mom doing house chores (in her naughty way she says she prefers to clean the house and that she hates doing the dishes!).

She loves sewing so much she already made a bread bag , with the help of the teacher who told us she’s the best student. After concluding the course, Fina says the first thing she wants to make is a dress for herself and then another for her mum.

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Day 12: 3, 2, 1 Sebastião Cuna – UPG Portugal Sponsoring is making a difference

Sebastião Cuna, known as Fabito, joined the UPG Portugal Sponsoring Programme this year, and on the past 24^th of October he celebrated his seventh birthday. He lives with his elderly grandpa who has difficulties in walking.

Fabito is fortunate to live nearby Sta. Luísa de Marillac’s school, in Manjangue, and he brags about his punctuality!

The support of his sponsors, financing a monthly Basic Basket, school uniform and materials, has helped him to feel part of our big family. We’ve been teaching him to be Happy and to Believe in a Different future … a better future!

Fabito loves a good picture, mainly when he is showing-off his nice clothes offered by his Sponsors with their generous extra contribution.

At Sta. Luísa Marillac school Sebastião and the other 900 students receive a daily meal sponsored by ALG.  

Now that the school year is over, we are certain he will move on to the 2^nd Grade!

Congratulations Fabito! We’re so happy for you 

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Day 11: Congratulations Júlio, for another goal achieved

ALG already mentioned our Scholarship holder Júlio, who has been with us since he was a child, through our sister charity UPG Portugal sponsoring programme Hokwé Children. Sponsored by Cascais City Hall, he entered the Mineral Processing Engineering Course at  the ISPT (Instituto Superior Politécnico de Tete).

It is with great joy that we share Júlio’s good news with everybody: he concluded his thesis and while he is waiting to defend it he’s been looking for an internship.

Júlio sent us a message:

 “After 4 years, this long and final stage of the course has come to an end: the conclusion of the curricula subjects. 

I’m so happy and proud for having achieved such a positive result. I owe all this privilege to God, to my family and, without a shadow of a doubt, to ALG and UPG.” 

ALG University Scholarships provide young dedicated underprivileged students, like Júlio, the opportunity of completing their university studies. ALG University scholarship holders are preferably students who previously benefited from UPG Portugal sponsoring programme or community youngsters involved with ALG such as local technicians, teachers or volunteers, with proven merit and eager to study.

Between £966 and £1’400 per year, depending on the course and location, ALG Scholarship finance students' living expenditures, securing mainly enrolment and tuition fees, with an occasional support for accommodation and meals.