Kilimanjaro Trek 2010 for Schools Around The World

Carlos Oliveira

Country

Portugal

Department

Office Leasing

I joined the climb team to help the Project Schools Around the World internationally but also locally. In Portugal we support an institution, Florinhas da Rua that was established in 1917 with the purpose of supporting young girls, daughters of prostitutes, rescuing them from situations of extreme poverty and vulnerability.Today, the institution is home to children of both sexes, coming from disfunctional families, usually referred there by order of the Family Court or the Child Protection. The house functions as a surrogate family, and children stay for as long as it takes to establish a safe and nurturing environment in their biological families – which in some cases never happens.

As well as a shelter, the institution also works as a halfway house for teenagers 16 or older, in a semi-autonomous regime, when it is not possible to reintegrate them within the biological or an adopting family.

lFlorinhas da Rua is currently home to about 25 children and young adults, aged between 5 and 18. All the raised money will go directly to the construction of a new kitchen for the institution.