The garouta do calhau

It is a private institution of social support that aims to answer the needs of the most vulnerable groups in our society, especially the poorest people of the city of Funchal. Altogether they own six centers develop diverse educational and recreational activities among young people and the elderly. Another of its aims is to develop the project of a Foundation t in order to extend its scope of action to other areas of the world.

What are the areas of intervention of the "Garouta do Calhau" association?
Ricardo Silva: Our first objective when we were born ten years ago, was working with the elderly, promote active aging, focusing on quality of life of the senior population. This social extract was a generation that had passed great difficulties, had gone through colonial wars and now with the retirement had to be helped to slow aging. To this end we have developed several activities in our community centers. Soon after we started working with children. We now have a project that is monitored study, 120 children are received at our facility, but as there is school full time in all educational institutions of Funchal, we worked more on our Romeiras center, where we have them in the morning and afternoon, the remaining centers are only available for the students in the late afternoon. Other aspects of the association, which has existed since its inception, is the "fun holidays", this initiative draws about 300 children of the streets, i.e., they get 3 months of summer with us. We have a number of activities available to young people from the equestrian center to the Aqua Park, etc. We want to give to the kids of these poor families, from deprived areas of the city, a quality holiday. So now that our users are children, young people and the elderly.

So where arises the idea of the "Garouta do Calhau" Foundation?
RS: "Garouta do Calhau" is essentially a brand that began to be use by the community development association of Funchal, so we do not lose our identity and now we have created a foundation. The association aims to work exclusively in the capital, the Foundation aims to use our experience, our knowledge to be able to participate in other activities elsewhere, diversified all our background support. We intend to work in the cultural, the scientific, health and poverty areas anywhere in the world. The foundation has supported an association of solidarity in Colombia years ago and already had done some work in Brazil that we want to extend to Madeira, but to all areas that are needed. We are not a rich institution in funds, there is a knowledge and a willingness we want to make available to people and also motivates them in solving their own problems. Of course, there are difficulties that can be overcome only with money, our aim is to also raise funds through the brand, notably by selling t-shirts and our own pebble stones.

How did the partnership worked with Colombia, you sent technicians?
RS: There were occasional situations. In Colombia's case was a piece of jewelery designed by Nini Andrade, who was subsequently auctioned. All the proceeds from the sale were sent to an association that works with underprivileged kids in Bogotá. This is the spirit of the association, the bottom is not distribute what we have, but use our knowledge for the benefit of our partners to support a particular cause.

How did those projects come to the association?
RS: In both cases were always connected to the professional field of Nini. She was in the capital of Colombia to develop a project of decorating for a hotel and had knowledge of the needs of the institution and decided to help.