Partners - Municipality of Amadora

Amadora is one of the largest cities in Portugal by population (176000 inhab). It forms a conurbation with the Portuguese capital Lisbon, and both cities share the same subway, bus and train network. It is also a major residential suburb of the capital, and the landscape is dominated by large apartment blocks and some industry. Amadora is also home to a big community of African immigrants.
 
The city has various programme, especially one called “Amadora Empreende” (Entrepreneurship Municipal Program) which main goal is to identify viable business ideas and facilitate pathways to fruition, providing results in the creation of enterprises, cooperatives or productive nature of projects within the voluntary sector in the city. It has the following sub-programmes:
Supporting Associations and micro-enterprises, with the aim to promote entrepreneurship in the city, has supported the creation of micro enterprises and offer technical support in:

  • Preparing the business plan / marketing;
  • Information and routing to incentives and support in the applications;
  • Legal, accounting and technical supports and monitoring of the project.

Multiservice Workshop - provides a support service to vulnerable groups of the population of the municipality and facilitates the socio-professional integration of disadvantaged groups to present a profile of specific skills and training in the areas of work encompassed by this project. New Opportunities Centre - Competences Recognition, Validation and Certification (CRVC) - It’s a process that recognises apprenticeships that adults develop through their lives, in many different contexts where they are inserted (life experience, professional experience, vocational and professional training) 

The Local Action Group of Amadora is composed by the following persons :

Name: Sara Samssudin

Organisation: Aga Khan Foundation

Position: Technician of Community Development

Sara Samssudin is Educational and Guidance psychologist and works for Aga Khan Foundation, in Portugal, since 2009. During her time at Aga Khan Foundation, she has been working in relocation neighbourhoods within Community Development Program K’CIDADE . Her work as community developer in the area of employability and lifelong learning focuses on developing personal and social skills of individuals to their professional integration (through employment or entrepreneurship). She has also worked to promote networks of institutions on these areas, as well as training throughout life (eg, literacy projects). 

 

Name: Rute Gonçalves

Organisation: Câmara Municipal da Amadora (City Hall of Amadora)

Position: Project Coordinator

Rute Gonçalves is a Social Worker in the City Hall of Amadora since 1999. Coordinator of the Projects Area, responsible for the development and implementation of the Social Local Network (based on local partnership) and for research and project management  in areas such as Domestic Violence, Qualification of the Social Services, Equality of Opportunities and Entrepreneurship. Local Coordinator of the “Amadora Empreende” Project.

 

Name: Adelino Manuel Serras

Organisation: Escola Intercultural das Profissões e do Desporto da Amadora, E.M.

Position: COO

Adelino Manuel Serras, Chief Operations Officer of Intercultural School of Professions and Sports of Amadora, (city council enterprise) has developed his professional activity promoting social inclusion and combating school dropout. Previously has performed as general coordinator of the Integrated Platform for the Development of Amadora, under the Equal Programme.

 

Name: Ana Maria Loureiro Costa

Organisation: Municipality of Amadora

Position: Social Worker

Ana Costa has a master in Social Policies (Technical University of Lisbon) and is working as a Social Worker in Amadora City Council since 2008. Has developed activities in the areas of domestic violence, qualification of social services, entrepreneur activities, cooperate responsibility and  project management.

 

Name: Ana Paula Tomás

Organisation: Municipality of Amadora

Position: Senior Staff

Ana Paula been working as a social worker with gypsies and immigrants communities since 1997. Worked as a vocational training coordinator for young and adult gypsies at a NGO. Integrated a health centre working team between - Project: “Special Intervention in motherly and infant’s health and family planning”:Conception and management of Vocational training for young people who had leaved school early and nurses whose habilitations were not recognized in Portugal.Since 2003, has been working in the Municipality of Amadora: Programme URBAN II – Amadora (Damaia/Buraca), in the conception and management of projects which contributes for the social and professional integration of teenage mothers, unemployed and unskilled young and adults who had leaved school early, and drug addicts; Social Municipal Entrepreneurship Programme and Action Programme “Zambujal Get Better”, a social and urbanistic intervention.

 

Name: Elsa Figueiredo

Organisation: COOPERCATIVA – Cooperativa de Desenvolvimento Social

Position: Directora Técnica da Comunidade de Inserção

Elsa Figueiredo works as a social worker  in a social housing neighbourhood (Bairro do Zambujal) since 1996.  She has a post-graduate specialization in Intervention with children and adolescents at risk. She is also a researcher and trainer at CESIS (Centre of Studies for Social Intervention) focusing on the various aspects of social exclusion. Since 2006 she coordinates the Community Inclusion at COOPERACTIVA which supports unemployed people with low  educational levels and economical resources.

 

Name: Márcio Teles Neves

Organisation: Soluções Eficientes (Young Entrepreneur)

Position: Manager

Márcio Teles Neves is a young brasilian entrepreneur, established in Portugal since 2004. Qualified in Entrepreneurship by SEBRAI Brasil and by the Programme Empretec, is a technical in electrotecnia and electrical systems, certified in all the areas of acting of the new technologies for Portuguese government institutions (DGE, ANACOM)and connected to the technical area for more than 20 years. Studied Business Administration and Environmental Education. Founder and Manager of “Solucões Eficientes”, an enterprise specialized in the marketing of products and services in electricity, telecommunications and solar energy, a project developed in the “Amadora Empreende” Project.

Name: Luis Mauricio Guevara

Organisation: Consolata Missionary Institute (IMC)

Position: Priest responsible community project Zambujal

Mauricio Guevara is a Catholic missionary priest from Argentine. He has worked and developed youth training projects in Latin America, Africa and Europe. Develops at present in Portugal with a team formed by young people, values recovery projects for the search of the true meaning of life.

Name: Patrícia Sarmento

Organisation: Pressley Ridge (Associação de Solidariedade Social)

Position: General Coordinator

Patrícia Sarmento is psychologist and works for Pressley Ridge, in Portugal, since 2005. During her time at Pressley Ridge, she has been teacher-counselor, program director, general coordinator and trainer. She has experience in working with children and youth in vulnerable contexts and their families. Regarding training and supervision, she has been working with teachers, educators and other professionals in behaviour management, crises prevention and intervention, re-education model and experiential education. She has a post-graduate specialization in Psychosocial Intervention with Children and Youth from Instituto de Estudos da Criança (Institute of Child Studies), Minho University.

Name: Paulo Teixeira

Organisation: Logframe – Consultoria e Formação, lda

Position: Managing Director

Paulo Teixeira is the owner of Logframe a consultancy and professional training firm based in Lisbon. Working mainly in planning and evaluation related issues and projects is the team leader in all evaluations conducted by his firm since 2004. Before that Paulo Teixeira worked as a government official in teams responsible for the planning and evaluation of national programs in areas like unemployment and social development, mainly, but not exclusively, co-funded by the European Union, and targeting groups like the unemployed (short and long term).

Paulo’s main area of activity is evaluation to which he as dedicated most of his professional efforts. He was responsible for a vast number of evaluations of EU co-funded projects and programmes in Portugal (the EQUAL initiative for instance). He collaborates with several Universities in Portugal giving classes on evaluation areas. He was also the coordinator for the Lisbon office of the European Anti-Poverty Network - Portugal and was until the end of 2009 a Board member of the European Evaluation Society and Portuguese Evaluators Association Board of Directors. Paulo is also co-author of three books on Strategical and Operational Planning and Evaluation, both of programs and organisations.

Name: Dina Teresa Moreira

Organisation: Amadora City Council

Position: Head of Division

Dina Moreira is Head of Division at the Municipality of Amadora, since August 2010, being responsible for the Office of Special Projects whose main tasks are: to ensure the implementation of "Zambujal Improvement Program", supported by a partnership for urban regeneration; Propose, promote and manage the implementation of other relevant municipal projects involving external funding, both at national or European level; Contribute to the external valuation of the municipality, ensuring the participation in international networks that promote social inclusion, intercultural and health.

In Lisbon Municipality, from 1982 until July 2010, she held positions of: Head of Studies and Planning Division from Social Affairs Department; Commission Coordinator within the Special Rehousing Program; Councillor Housing Advisor; Advisor of the Councillor for Social Affairs; Senior Staff of the Social Affairs Department. She holds a degree in Philosophy by Nova University of Lisbon and took part in several national and international projects in the fields of migration and development, accessibility and health.

Name: Marisa Durão

Organisation: Amadora City Council

Position: Head of Division

Marisa Durão is the head of the division of educational intervention, in the Department of Education and Socio-cultural Development.

Marisa has a degree in Social Service and has a post-graduate specialization in “Protection of children and young people in danger” in Law Faculty of the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Has worked since 1998 in Education, in the city of Amadora, developing  interventions to support  the pedagogical  management of schools, as well as its organization and operation.

Her professional activities have been focused, particularly in the areas of family support and curriculum enrichment activities.

Name: Maria Felicidade de Freitas Nunes

Organisation: “A Partilha” –Zambujal Neighbourhood

Association - Buraca

Position: President

Maria Felicidade de Freitas Nunes is president of the organization “A Partilha” since 2007, when it was created.
After a lifetime working in public administration, she retired and felt a need to do something for her community specially for the most poor. So she join with some neighbours and they started the project: “A Partilha”. In the last four years, “A Partilha” have support the community in different areas, like social, educational and supporting the habitation needs in the neighbourhood. “A Partilha” have a partnership with some Institutions such has Municipality of Amadora (CMA), Habitation and Rehabilitation Urban Institute (IHRU), and Benfica’s Foundation.


Back to partners' list