Project Principe 2017

We dream and make education and sustainable development happen in Portuguese-speaking African countries.

We dream and make education and sustainable development happen at the African Portuguese-speaking countries.

This is Sonha, Faz e Acontece mission and Project Principe 2017 is another step towards that goal. We are going back to Principe for the sixth year in a row and during three months we will be implementing activities that urge to respond to that community's needs.

We highlight the following activities:

1. Xináa Fogáa (“Learn how to play”) Summer Camp – around 100 children will be taking part of our Summer Boot Camp with leisure and training activities;

2. Gravana School – continuous training for youngsters from 12 to 16 years old in the following subjects: Portuguese, English, Computer Science and Maths;

3.  Rebuilding Picao School– recovering the classrooms of the primary school in Picao, namely to repair and replace doors and windows, to restore tables and chairs and to paint the walls;

4. Rebuilding Sao Joaquim Health Center - recovering the health community center in Sao Joaquim, one of the poorest communities of the island at about 9 km from the city of Santo Antonio, namely to repair the electricity and the plumbing systems and to paint the building;

5. Traineeships – promoting short internships for youngsters from 16 up to 18 years old, partnering with companies implemented on the island of Príncipe;

6. Entrepreneurship Competition – conducting mentoring sessions and follow-up business ideas developed by local entrepreneurs and financially supporting to two winning ideas, as well as providing remote monitoring;

7. Gravana University – continuing education in Entrepreneurship, Communication and Personal Development, English and Computer Science aimed at youngsters/young adults from 16 years old onwards.

Projects will be developed in the field by a team of 17 volunteers: 14 from Portugal, 2 from Principe and 1 from Spain, from July till September. For more information about the Project please check out blog (portuguese only).

About the author

n 2010, moved by the desire to create value, a group of friends flew to Principe Island in Sao Tome and Principe. There they discovered a different reality, where happiness and smiles prevailed, but dreams of a different future or an alternative reality didn’t exist. Books to read, teachers to teach, libraries to study, training in several areas… in Principe there was – and still is – a lot to do for the education of those children. Sonha, Faz e Acontece wants to actively participate in this urgent need for change. Because to educate is to take care of the future!

That was how, in April 2012, Sonha, Faz e Acontece was born. We area social entrepreneurship and volunteerism association whose dream is to promote education in Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP countries).

We started with Principe Island, our pilot project, but our intention is to expand our activity to other countries where education is still a basic need. Currently, we are focused on two lines of action – one in Portugal, the other in Principe – and all the help and money are necessary in order to achieve the projects we have outlined. It is education that we are speaking about. Education is synonymous with freedom. Education is "the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela.

Budget and due dates

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