Works by Casa Acreditar in Lisbon start this Wednesday, Children’s Day – Observer
Casa Acreditada de Lisboa will be able to accommodate 32 families of children undergoing treatment at the IPO, with works of three euros from the fair that can reach millions and reach the expected duration of one year.
Postponed two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the works will finally start on International Children’s Daywith the symbolic principles in front of the first stone on Rua Professor Lima Bastos, right at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO) in Lisbon, the director-general of the Association told Lusa this Thursday.
Casa Acreditar de Lisboa was the first to be built and has been in operation for almost 20 years, with only 12 children and family members.
Starting to feel the need for us for this house for many years”, said Margarida Cruz, half since in Lisbon there are cases dealt with every year, highlighting that there are almost always waiting lists.
Since it started operating in 2003, 1,695 families have already registered for the house, most of them from Madeira, Azores, Algarve and Alentejobut also from Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP) who had to accompany their children during Oncological Treatments.
Until recently, almost all PALOP families, who stay for an average of three years, mostly came to Casa Lisboa, which has less capacity to host. Casa Acreditar in Coimbra has a capacity for 20 families and 16 in Porto.
With the united works1, Casa de Lisboa can welcome 20 more, in addition to current families2, and also at 25 years old.
Enlargement of Casa Acreditar in Lisbon starts this year to welcome more families
“We are expand the possibility of receiving not only children but also young people up to 25 years”, which will also imply making agreements with the social services of hospitals other than just the IPO.
“While pediatrics is concentrated in another 5 years in hospitals, in the IPO, the treatment of young people is spread across 2 hospitals and hospitals, until conversations we have with other hospitals, that this is a necessity”, Margarida Cruz .
The Lisbon work will connect the current house to the adjoining building by the City Hall. “Having an expansion site right next door is an almost unique situation” and will allow a connection between the two buildings with “a unique management”, he commented.
“The Chamber, which had already helped us with this land where a current house is located, collaborated again with Acreditar, recognizing the work we do and the existing need”, he stressed.
Margarida Cruz recalled that The works were delayed due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We feel that during the pandemic we protect above all the children and families who were in the house. We could not help because that would imply that strange people would enter the house due to the works”, she declares.
According to the person in charge, the work must be completed within a year. Now, I’ll add materials: “We all know from a standpoint that we can guarantee some contingencies for the supply of materials that I hope didn’t work on this job, but I can’t guarantee that they won’t.”
He explained that, before the pandemic, the budget for the work did not reach two million euros and is currently around three million. “This period of delay that occurred as a major impact on the work had a very significant impact”.
For the work, Acreditar launched a fundraising campaign aimed at civil society.