This amount is the result of a joint effort, including the organisation of charity stalls (run by students from the second and third cycles throughout the first school term with the help of their families), initiatives by the Student Representative Council, raffle sales, and the funds raised during the CIV Christmas Fair.

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This year, in addition to allocating €1,500 to sponsor five children from vulnerable communities in Mozambique (through the project "The Big Hand"), CIV decided to donate a further €2,550 to this NGO to equip several classrooms in a pre-school in the village of Matsinho. David Fernandes, founder and president of the national programmes management of "The Big Hand", attended the CIV Christmas Fair and visited several classes to present the work carried out and the impact it has on the communities it supports.

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The remaining funds were distributed as follows: €5,000 to the Quarteira Social Canteen, which supports many families on a daily basis by providing meals and clothing, and €3,000 to the Temporary Reception Centre Os Miúdos (Loulé), which protects and cares for children at risk.

Credits: Supplied Image;

At the same time, CIV carried out three food and Christmas gift collection campaigns. The food donations were delivered to the association Existir (Loulé), contributing to the distribution of Christmas food hampers to the families supported by that institution, and to Algarve Animal Rescue (ARA), because our four-legged friends also deserve love and care. The Christmas gift campaign resulted in the collection of 221 shoebox gifts, which were delivered to Cáritas Diocesana do Algarve. According to Olga Matos, Executive Director of that institution, “This is a gesture of tenderness, from children to children, that lights up our Christmas.”


The CIV leadership extends its thanks to everyone who took part in the Christmas Fair and in the various charitable initiatives promoted as part of the Christmas campaign. “We are proud to acknowledge the commitment and generosity of our students and of the entire educational community, whose dedication reflects the values of solidarity and citizenship that define us. The funds raised represent not only material support, but also clearly express the humanist principles that guide the institution and CIV’s educational project, reinforcing our commitment to educating conscious and caring citizens. The support of the Municipality, the Quarteira Parish Council and Inframoura has been fundamental over the years to the success of this campaign.”