SVP Pre-school!

Thanks to everyone’s contribution, we managed to raise 1'256£ to support the first class of children in SVP! Now, around 30 extremely underprivileged children will have free access to pre-school education, a daily meal, school material, a teacher and lots and lots of care and attention. To celebrate another conquest nothing better than volunteer Virgina’s words.

“One more (extra)"ordinary" day.

I’m teaching pre-school children, between 3 and 5 years old (moving from being a university teacher to a kindergarten teacher :) ). 

I have almost 30 wonderful students, and their affection couldn’t make me happier. :)

In only one week, they have learned to count to 5, and to write number 1 and 2 (a huge accomplishment, considering most of them do not speak Portuguese). This is also combined with plasticine moulding (good idea to bring it) and lots of songs and dancing.

I’m also learning changana (local dialect) to be able to communicate more efficiently with them.

I already have favourites: Michelle is hardworking, quiet and a quick learner (she says she loves teacher Virgínia, and I can feel it), and Emerson, quiet with the cutest face I’ve ever seen. :)

In the beginning, it was difficult to see children without backpacks or pencils. They didn’t even had bread for their snack and did not know how to use the toilet (one of the children just relieved himself at the entrance floor). They didn’t know how to hold a pencil (they tried to write with the wrong end) ... Education is key and I’m very happy for being able to participate in theirs’, even if only temporarily.”

25 Dec. In 2017 we will continue to break the cycle of poverty. Join us in this adventure! THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2016 was a great year for ALG! We began the year with a record amount of £231 thousand raised jointly with our sister charity UPG Portugal.

Since January your donations focused mainly on the three projects – School Meals in SLM (35%), followed by a favourite for the ALG friends for several years – Pre-Schools (11%) and HIV Day Care Centre (10%).

We invested even more in academic and professional education, expanded basic sanitation with 13 latrines and increased the support provided to children infected with HIV. We developed a long-wanted programme aimed at helping 11 parents through income generation initiatives. With local poverty increasing to alarming levels, ALG strengthened the basic food baskets of sponsored children and took the challenge to launch a new pre-school in SVP. We were proud of ALG uni scholarship holders like Joaquim and Eduardo who obtained their college degree. They are symbols of our confidence that no matter how underprivileged the child, a better future is attainable through access to education.

On a year Mozambique was plagued by draught and food shortages, ALG was present through strong investment and supported by volunteers on the ground. In 2017 your funds will help us further as we keep on breaking the cycle of poverty. Join us in this great adventure!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to everyone who allows us to fulfil ALG’s dream to improve the lives of children, families, youngsters and elders in Mozambique. Every Little Gesture Helps!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALG FAMILY!!!

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG friends since 2011. This year you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 24: ALG Challenges continue to bear fruits!

ALG Challenges keep surprising us. This year we saw ALG friends going for a Cause to Celebrate dedicating their anniversary party to the little ones in ESC pre-school and Virgínia C who, once again, to celebrate her birthday decided to raise money to finance Grandma Maria’s hut.

Thank you to all these ALG Friends for their initiative and strength to support our cause! Among friends and family, in a party environment, stimulating competition between school classes or just spending a fun afternoon in a company with a strong social awareness. ALG Challenges give these ambassadors the opportunity to raise funds while they dedicate themselves to a generous, dynamic and usually fun initiative.

Do you want to organise an ALG Challenge – Charitable Gourmet, Athlete for a Cause or A Cause to Celebrate? ALG helps with the organization and to make your Challenge a success! Contact us at info@alittlegesture.org

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 23: Let’s bet big to educate the little ones

ALG Board’s visit to Mozambique is always filled with an array of feelings and subsequent decisions. This year we had a particularly happy decision. We decided to open another pre-school, this time in SVP. The help us achieve our goal we launched a Christmas campaign. With only 52€ you are helping a little one, from 3 to 5 years of age, to attend the new pre-school. A group of 30 extremely underprivileged children will be able to access pre-school education, a daily meal and lots of tenderness.

By supporting the new SVP pre-school with ALG, your giving these children the chance of a better future.

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 22: Studying can be so fun!

In SLM, in the After School Support classes, Cristóvão helps UPG sponsored children to learn their lessons in a fun and creative way. Subjects are approached ahead of time so children can be prepared in classes. In the blackboard Cristóvão divides the subjects according to the classes. On one side the eldest children, on the other the youngest. When they have tests, they have a Q&A session to make sure everyone is well prepared. Before starting, all the children do relaxation exercises, and sing happy songs to be sharp and awake. In the end, they have a snack with cookies, tea or juice. The school results have generally improved and we even have external students attending classes, simply because studying became so much fun!

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 21: Thank you ALG volunteers!

This year Ricardo, Ana, Nuno, Bernardo, Filipe and Adriana travelled to Mozambique to be able to help who needs it the most. They left their family and friends behind and financed their own trip with the goal of cooperating with ALG’s projects. In Mozambique these volunteers shared their knowledge and also learned with whom also has so much to teach. In SLM and SVP, more than 400 sponsored children benefited from the presence of the volunteers through games, talking, after school support, laughing yoga and sports weeks.

ALG also had the visit of one of our UK ambassadors on the ground, Madalena, who used her vacation period to visit Mozambique and a few projects which she promotes through fund raising.

To these and to the more than 30 volunteers who collaborated this year with ALG in events such as Line Mz, or who support the headquarters with data basis, sending information to the sponsors and helping sending more than 800 postcards from sponsored children, twice a year, our most sincere THANK YOU, KHANIMAMBO!

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 20: Second chances that are worth it!

Maurício was in the UPG Sponsoring Programme in Escolinha do André, in Xai-Xai. In 2014, he was removed from the programme because he was not attending school as he was supposed to. By the end of 2015, ALG was very happy to know that Maurício did not give up studying and was attending a 2-year Technical Course on Laboratory Techniques in Chicumbane. Because he went back to school ALG gave Maurício a second chance as a scholarship holder and helped him again in his studies. Thanks to the Cascais City Hall, it was possible to finance his school material expenditures and transportation.  Maurício has had great results, he has an average grade of 16, and is now undergoing an internship in Macia’s Health Centre. We are thrilled for giving him this opportunity and so proud of his achievements, mainly because he’s also helping the ones in need!

ALG university and technical scholarships provide dedicated underprivileged youngsters like Maurício the chance of concluding their university studies.  

In 2016 ALG supported 11 dedicated and committed students and helped them to fulfil their dreams in the degrees of Law, Accounting, Engineering and Mineral Processing, Engineering and Food Processing and School Management and Administration. ALG Scholarships make dreams come true and change lives for ever.

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 19: Documentary “Tales of Resilience”

In August ALG welcomed two very special volunteers Niko and Mattia in Mozambique. They joined us in this great adventure to shoot a documentary on the work developed by ALG and about the children who benefit from our initiatives.

Among other children, they followed more closely the lives of Arone and Racília. Racília continues to bake cookies to sell and to help in her home monthly expenses, this allows her to pay for transportation to go to school. She’s on the 12^th grade and she’s closer to make her dream of becoming a nurse come true. 

Arone is an example unlike so many HIV infected children without assistance in Mozambique. His school grades mirror his dedication to studies. His perseverance and his dream of a better future will take him far. We hope for a different and better future, like many others that do not have illness as an obstacle.

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

 

Day 18: In SLM children will no longer eat on the floor!

The construction of the new School Canteen in SLM was been a long ALG wish but has suffered a few setbacks. Finally, it is ready and it is beautiful!!

Now, with the brand new window panes, our children’s most recent source of entertainment is to gaze at their reflection. Many of them only notice they left home without combing their hair when they get here. The frenzy is such that at lunch time the school guard has to come to the canteen too to keep an eye on the window panes!

In SLM, around 800 children used to eat sitting on the floor, under a tree, surrounded by dust and dirt brought by the wind. On rainy days children had to eat their meals in the class rooms, or under a shed sitting on the floor.

Construction began by the end of June 2015. The new canteen started to take shape in mid-September, and the equipment was acquired before Christmas. Now, our children have proper healthy conditions during their meals period, and they can develop sociability and hygiene habits.  

Support SLM’s School Feeding Programme and improve the daily quality of life of 800 children – bring a Great Help To Mozambique! Contact us for more details

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here

Day 17: Full bellies learn better!

ALG After Class Study Centres are educational spaces to provide academic support to youngsters in school age, after classes. This support is free and provided in underprivileged communities with low schooling rates.

In 2016, ALG decided to strengthen the snack in SVP, and started to provide a meal with rice and beans. In SLM, the snack is composed of bread or cookies and juice, since children also benefit from the School Feeding Programme similarly financed by ALG. 

With £833 in SLM (Santa Luísa de Marillac) and £2.151 in SVP (São Vicente Paulo) – an average amount of £10 student/year – ALG finances assistant teachers for after-school follow-up (focusing on subjects such as Portuguese and Maths), occasional school materials and a daily snack; an essential factor to guarantee children’s attendance. 

In After Class Study Centres, a lot has happened during this last year! Volunteer Adriana made teaching more dynamic and taught our children many fun and different facts. In SLM, during the snack period, children learned basic health and hygiene habits which help to prevent diseases. In SVP, where we provide a warm and comforting lunch, children’s creativity was explored and they drew animals using the shape of their hands to create different figures. The guaranteed result was: lots of smiles!

ALG has been offering this festive calendar to all ALG Friends since 2011. This year, you can also print a high definition version for only 1£! Donate here