The children and staff of the Bom Samaritano Children’s Home in Alvor are completely overwhelmed by the latest donation to the home.
It has always been a problem for the 36 children to find somewhere to play during bad weather. The shared bedrooms are not ideal play areas and there is limited space in the living room, where the children read or watch television. What the children have wanted for a long time was a room dedicated to play, with a pool table, dart board, tables for games and so on.
Marisa Bossa, who runs the home, is relentless in her drive to improve the quality of the children’s lives. These children, whose ages range from three to 16, have been removed from their homes due to neglect, abandonment or abuse, and they live permanently at Bom Samaritano and attend local schools. However, they do not have the freedom to play in the streets or go to friends’ houses. Marisa often writes to companies asking if they could donate items or money to help the children and it was from one such letter that the children’s greatest wish came true.
Etienne Sprengers from Interhold Lda received a letter from Marisa asking if his company could help in any way with a donation. Having decided to support one children’s charity every year, Mr. Sprengers contacted Marisa and donated an amazing wooden garden house for the children to use as a playroom.
The house took just days to install and, even better, no maintenance is necessary on the wooden structure. Etienne Sprengers told us: “We intend to become involved every year with a children’s charity as we believe children are the future. They need a chance to grow, be educated and have a decent home – it’s as simple as that. We appreciate what Bom Samaritano do and are happy to support them.”
Just a couple of weeks after offering this generous gift, Mr. Sprengers heard that the children wanted some swings and he promptly offered them a wooden climbing frame with two swings and a tower.
These latest gifts have gone a long way to making the children’s lives more fun, but they are still always desperate for more donations for the continued improvement of the fixtures and fittings. “Everyone is delighted with their new play house and we cannot thank Interhold enough, it’s a dream come true for all of us, “ Marisa explained. “What we need now are some large tables and chairs for the children to work on. They are interested in painting ceramics and would love donations of any equipment. We also need cupboards for storing items in the playhouse.”
The children urgently need slippers in all sizes and warm winter clothes, especially for the boys. If you would like to help the children in any way, please telephone the home on 282 459 201.
Interhold Lda have been established in the Algarve, near Sta Bárbara de Nêxe, for four years and specialise in the supply of wooden elements for construction and providing wooden structures for villas and restaurants. If you would like more information on Interhold, please call 289 990 320 or fax 289 990 329. Isobel Costa
