We Invest in People

A.D.F.P.

Miranda do Corvo / Coimbra District / Portugal / European Union

INTRODUCTION

We are a Private Institution of Social Solidarity, without profitable means.

* Since September 1989, officially recognized as Public Utility. 

* With headquarters in Miranda do Corvo. 

* Provides social and cultural services in the county of Miranda and in the city of Coimbra, and additional cultural services in other town counties ( Penela, Lousã, Góis, Penacova and Coimbra) – with the service of a Mobile Library. 

* We have about 2500 members and 3400 people that regularly use our services, including more or less 230 elderly, disabled, handicapped, chronically ill, children and women that live in our residences. 

* 17% of the workers are desable.

MAIN OBJECTIVES

Our main objectives are to support the disabled people, chronically ill and maladjusted, children, the young and the elderly, with the main intent to express the duty of solidarity between people as well as a total integration of each individual in society based on a philosophy of social inclusion.

We refuse to be a “ghetto” of people with special needs. We have social, health, cultural, recreational and sports services. Such as a Woman’s Club, a Youth Association (AJA), a Cultural Department with a library (around 30.000 books), pigeon racing, athletics, indoor soccer, a horse riding centre, gymnasium and health club with a heated swimming pool.
We have built a cinema and we have begun a museum. We seek to preserve national and cultural heritage values, especially regional handicrafts.

According to a regional development prospect, in order to create wealth, employment and to fight poverty, we have worked to create a small social building block, and we are developing a tourist project to our area.

Our main objective is to promote better quality of life (physical, psychological, economic and social) within several different social groups – children, youth, disadvantaged adults, the disabled and the chronically ill, and the elderly.

SOCIAL ANSWERS

The principals of integration and the battle against exclusion are expressed by the existence of a wide range of services providing many different social, educational and vocational training options:

1. Open to the community:

* Children Centre (for children 3 months to 6 years old)

* ATL – Extra Curriculum Activities (for 280 primary school children)

* Occupational Support Centre (for 53 disabled young people)

* Alternative Curricula (cooperating with the Ministry of Education in order to allow the conclusion of ninth year schooling for 36 pupils)

* Vocational Training for 70 young people with special needs

* Educational and Vocational Training for 24 pupils with the ninth year schooling equivalence

* Technical Needs Office for the disabled

* Socio-Occupational Forum, for 12 people with mental disorders

* Day Centre and Senior University for 108 elderly

2. Door to Door:

* Delivery Home Service to 55 elderly

* Integrated Delivery Home Service to 10 people with inability

* Mobile Library in six town counties with more then 2000 readers

3. Residential Homes:

* Children Emergency and Welcome Centre – 30 children from 3 months to 16 years old

* Women’s Shelter and Life Support Centre – 15 mothers with there children or pregnant women

* Supporting Home – 15 young people with special needs, temporary support

* Residential Home – 44 young people and adults with special needs, permanent residence

* Geriatric Residence- for 61 elderly

* Integrated Supporting Unit –for 5 ill people in acute phase

* Assisted Residence – for 40 dependent adults and elderly, including Alzheimer’s ills

* UIMD – Admittance and Continued Health Care Unit for recovering 14 people during a medium period (until 3 months)

* UILD _ Admittance and Continued Health Care Unit for recovering 30 people during a long period (more then 3 months)

* U.V.A. – Life Supporting Unit for 10 people with mental disorders

INTEGRATION

About 250 people, from all age groups are living at the Social Community Centre. The social answers are based on an inclusive perspective of intervention that increases the value of generational intercourse. This target benefits from the fact that the majority of the services and residential units are concentrated at Miranda’s Social Community Centre. Due to the fact that the Centre covers a total area of 40.000 m2 (more than four football fields) with sports halls, lawn areas, green spaces, playground, a fish thank and a birdcage, it favours the intercourse of all residents (children, young people and the elderly with or without handicap or disadvantage).

ORGANISATION AND FUNCTIONING

The functioning of the Association is ensured by different departments in charge of their own area, based on three technical co-ordinations (Childhood/Rehabilitation; Vocational Training; Elderly), purposely articulated and supervised by the Board.

Many people with different degrees of handicap are in charge of important posts.

The organisation and functioning of the different departments appear on the domestic regulations, drawn up in accordance with rules established by competent official services.

The Management is fulfilled on a voluntary basis.

FINANCING

We depend on the following financial sources: 

* Inscription and about 2500 membership fees. 

* Inheritances, donations and legacies from private sources. 

* Donations and grants from parties or subscriptions. 

* User’s financing (defined in proportion to their economic and family situation). 

* Income from the sale of various articles and services provided. 

* Partial State or European funds.

The financial services are externally examined by an Official Auditor Accountant and internally ensured by a team (economists and accountant) of disabled people.

STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

Functioning is ensured by 170 workers, supplemented by employees from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Labour and Solidarity as well as unemployed people placed by the I.E.F.P. (Institute for Employment and Vocational Training) in Occupational Programmes.

Around 17 % of the employees of the Institution Board are disabled and some hold important posts.

Fifty three disabled people with occupational activities contribute with their work to the Institution.

Out of 230 salaries, 34% go towards the disabled.

Altogether the work of the members of the Board, including different departments, is carried out on a voluntary basis.

Young volunteers support different services receiving a little “pocket money”.

As well as the Administrative Staff, Old Age Home Assistants/Chambermaids and Nursemaids, Nurses/Physiotherapists, Doctors in general medicine and labour medicine, Cooks/Assistant Cooks, Auxiliary Staff (Cleaning, General Services and Education), Caretakers, Professors and Monitors, the A.D.F.P. has a multi-disciplinary and diversified team, able to adequately respond to demands:

- 5 Psychologists

- 5 Social Workers

- 2 Social Teachers

- 2 Sociologists

- 1 Civil Engineer

- 2 Economists

- 1 Accountant

- 1 Graduate in Business Administration

- 5 Physiotherapists

- 1 Agronomist Engineer

- 3 Graduates in History
 
- 1 Anthropologist

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DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICES, USERS AND NUMBER 

WORKSHOPS

To ensure occupational activities for the disabled and to preserve craftsmanship, there are some workshops: 

· Regional tapestry – Hand looms 

· Earthenware pottery 

· Wicker baskets and furniture

These workshops sell their products, which they can manufacture on order.

OTHER SERVICES

The Institution provides different services to members, users and public or private entities such as: 

· Handicrafts Shop 

· Footwear Repair 

· Carpentry 

Quinta da Paiva’s Farm: 

· Gardening 

· Horse Riding/ Horse Accommodation

· Wine Production / In “Terras do Sicó” demarcated region, a wine-growing lime ground sub-region of “Beiras”, we produce our red wine “Solidário” (13 degrees) on a creation strategy of job opportunities for disabled people and/ or victims of exclusion. Our proposal it’s also to increase the value of gastronomic inheritance such the “Chanfana” (on red wine roasted old goat meet) an “ex-libris” of the town county. “Solidário” red wine is available at the Handicrafts Shop, close to Miranda’s Market.

AUTONOMOUS SECTIONS

* Young Friends Association (AJA) 

* Athletics 

* Indoor football 

* Horse riding 

* Pigeon Racing 

* Women’s Club 

* Walkers Club 

The sections have a different level of autonomy with relation to the A.D.F.P.

CULTURAL SERVICES

* Library and Mobile Library 

* Miranda do Corvo Cinema
 
* Cooperage Museum 

* Ecomuseum and Chanfana (regional gastronomy) museum – forthcoming

* Senior University

SPORTS EQUIPMENT

* Horse riding with covered riding school and hurdles 

* Well equipped Gymnasium/Health Club 

* Heated indoor pool (14 x 6 meters) 

* Outdoor Sports Centre

PROJECTS

Along with Coimbra Town Council we have started a Civic Centre project in Ingote, consisting of 3 Residential Units: Assisted Residence, Elderly Residential Home and Residential Unit for disabled young people and children.

Culturally, our short term project includes the creation of an ethnographic museum, eco-museum and chanfana museum

In the tourism sector , with a view to sustainable development, in a partnership with Miranda Town Council, we aim to create a tourist complex, with hotel, restaurant and an educational farm (Quinta da Paiva) that includes a natural habitat for regional animals, an Ecomuseum and The Chanfana Museum (regional gastronomy).
This project allies environmental, cultural and gastronomic matters.
In such a view our intent is the conversion of the current vine on the 7000 m² of “Terras do Sicó”, with national grape varieties (the Castas) such as “Alfrocheiro” (30%), “Touriga Nacional” (30%), “Arinto” (20%) and “Fernão Pires” (20%) in order to transform “Solidário” into a mark of excellence.

BRIEF

We are a non-profitable private institution with headquarters in Miranda do Corvo, whose cultural and social services go on to different municipalities within the District of Coimbra.

We have social and health services, educational and vocational training areas, cultural, recreational and sports sections, with an inclusive and integrative logic.

We develop door to door external services. We have different residential units for children, disabled people, women victims and the elderly, including the bed-ridden and those with senile dementia.

Concluding, we have services which involve partnerships with the National Health Service and the Social Security to support the elderly and to help people with mental disorders.


Miranda do Corvo, 12 of December of 2006


A.D.F.P.

(Association for Development and Professional Training)

Community Social Center 
“Dr.Jaime Ramos”
3220-231 Miranda do Corvo 

PORTUGAL

Telephone: 00 351 239 530 150
Fax: 00 351 239 533 160
e-mail: geral@adfp.pt