Fundação Vasco Vieira de Almeida promoted a corporate volunteering initiative on October 27 as part of the "SEMEAR na Terra" program’s M² Project.

28 VdA staff volunteered to work together with the Semear team for one morning and help maintain the VdA Garden.

Associação BIPP developed the M² Project to qualify and promote the social and professional integration of young people and adults with IDDs by providing them certified training and on-the-job experience in organic agricultural production and processing.

We thank you all for your commitment!

 

In your own words:

 

We are privileged to be given these opportunities to learnwhat we don’t know from experts and to be in touch with nature.

It’s gratifying to know that we are helping achieve something that also makes us feel happy and fulfilled. Sometimes these initiatives end up being a win-win for all parties involved because we feel that we helped and made a difference besides having learned something new.

And most of all, we witness the resilience of the people working there, their inspiring love of the land and we are proud that just a single day spent in nature brings out the best in each of us.

André Batista

Lisa Fortunato

Rita Ribeiro

Pedro Banza

Pedro Ramos Gonçalo

 

 “Semear na Terra” reminded me of how much we can get in return when we give a little of ourselves.I wanted to be a part of an inclusive initiative, even though it was a bit more challenging for me.But after sowing and weeding, what I actually reaped was my own inclusion.It was an awesome opportunity to prove to myself that I’m able to exceed even my own expectations about myself and my reward was to bring that confidence to my life and feel less dependent on my walking stick despite my condition.I’m grateful for the Foundation team’s permanent care and concern and for how safe they made me feel when I lost my balance.And I’m even more grateful for having been afforded the opportunity to actually participate. Albeit in a different context, this experience was really just an affirmation of how I’ve felt since joining VdA.

David Sotto-Mayor Machado

 

I thoroughly enjoyed VdA’s Semear initiative.It’s inspiring to witness the work of their staff, living proof one and all that our personal challenges do not keep us from contributing to society and the planet.

Francisco Sousa-Pinto

 

I was lucky to participate in the Semear initiative. It is an awesome project, VdA’s support is needed, our work was useful and welcomed by the people working there every day. It’s really people who make all the difference and give meaning to everything. Semear staff’s good humor and kindness and the enthusiasm, open mind and good mood of the VdA volunteers made this day for me. It was a huge pleasure to be able to share this team spirit with my daughter Isabel, who in exchange for sowing was given the seeds of how to act as team.Oh, and we loved the tractor ride.We’re totally in for your next initiatives.Thank you so much.

Maria Cunha Matos