The jersey signed by the footballer will be auctioned between 22 June and the 6 July on the eSolidar digital platform (https://www.esolidar.com/auction/detail/2307-camisola-da-juventus-autografada-por-cristiano-ronaldo# ), the Association promotes the initiative in a statement.

According to the association, the proceeds will revert to the “Emergency Fund open: COVID-19”, which is intended “to provide access to medicines, health products and services to citizens who have become economically more vulnerable as a result of the current pandemic”.

"The highest bidder will take home a shirt signed by the best football player in the world, while allowing health to those who need it most," he stresses.

The emergency fund already counts on the participation of 40 municipal councils, parish councils, Cáritas, Misericórdias and private social solidarity institutions (IPSS), responsible for referring citizens in situations of socioeconomic need, supporting them in access to the medicines they need to live.

Dignitude points out that the number of participants “doubled in just one month”, being “expected to see an exponential growth of beneficiaries in the coming weeks, due to the worsening resulting from unemployment and lay-off situations in companies” .

Citizens can also make donations to the emergency fund, by bank transfer to IBAN: PT50.0036.0000.99105930085.59, through 'MB WAY': 932 440 068, on the website www.abem.pt or on abem's Facebook page.

This initiative is supported by Portugal Inovação Social, through European Union Funds.

Created on 4 November, 2015, Associação Dignitude, an IPSS, has the mission of “the development of solidary programmes of great social impact, which promote the quality of life and well-being of the Portuguese”.

Dignitude is founded by António Arnaut, António Ramalho Eanes, Francisco Carvalho Guerra, João Gonçalves da Silveira, João Cordeiro, Maria de Belém Roseira and Odette Santos Ferreira.

The abem Programme: Rede Solidária do Medicamento aims to “allow access, in a dignified manner, to prescription drugs for those who do not have the financial capacity to purchase them, covering, in the prescription, the amount not reimbursed by the State”

At the national level, the Programme has already supported 14,812 beneficiaries from 8,164 families, of which 12 percent are children. 569,788 packages of medicines have already been purchased under the abem since its inception in May 2016.

The Social Impact assessment of the project, according to the SROI methodology - Social Return on Investment - reveals that the Programme generated a social return of 6.9 million Euros in the first two years, showing that each euro invested had a social impact valued at 7.8 Euros.