Day 1. I’m sitting on the balcony, writing this as I sip on a reduced Portuguese vino, and eating hot vegetable-fried rice. Thinking about the day I have had and the people I have met; exhaustion, alongside wonder, riddles my mind & body but my drive to write this and reflect on what I’ve learnt is greater. To say I could have expected what I would be doing would be a lie, as my first day has met my expectations, but has also surpassed them.

After an hour and a half commute, I finally arrived at my placement located on the outskirts of Lisbon city. I was greeted by the NGO coordinator, Tiago, and given a brief, 1-hour summary ofwhat the NGO does and who they are. Although I had researched the NGO, Tiago mentioned their official page was a poorly-made website that did not encompass what the NGO truly stood for & did. 

What I knew was that the organisation helped support the homeless community in Lisbon, specifically those recovering from addiction with no direct support system, and that it provided support in many areas such as psychological support, career support, skills support and of course, housing those who are unhoused in some of their own accommodations.

Pictured: Nativity season shelter creations

What I learnt was that Orientar, the shelter I am working at, is a fully sustainable organisation funded by the Portuguese government that not only does all of these things, but also accepts second-hand materials and partners with a woodwork shop to use their space when not in use so the community at the shelter can repurpose and repaint these items and they are then sold to support the shelter and the users of our service. Other than woodwork, they also create specific arts & crafts that are sold around holiday seasons that are notorious in Lisbon, each year releasing new creations such as this year’s Nativity project (pictured above & below). To summarise everything the people at the shelter can get involved in, I would need another thousand words, but for the purpose of this diary, I have only explained the most popular of their activities.

Pictured: Close up of Nativity season creation

This is all extremely impressive as the homeless people are able to build on their practical skills and learn how to be autonomous, one of the main goals of the organisation. They are also required to self-maintain the space along with the volunteers in order to use it, and to my delight, people do not abuse the service and do stick to the rules, always clearing up and ensuring their space is always tidy allowing the shelter to consistently be a safe space to help those in need.

What shocked me the most was not only do they refurbish items & sell them, but they also make things for the accommodation I stay at, a volunteer-run accommodation for volunteers of several NGOs. When I first learnt of this, I remember my first thought was ‘what a full circle’ and then shortly after, ‘this is so impressive’. If you’re asking why impressive, it is because the organisation is impressively sustainable, and the quality of the people’s work is fantastic & unexpected (pictured below). Considering most of them had not been professionally trained on woodwork skills, you could truly see how support from the shelter made a difference, and how all of these skills they gained and the support they got had given them, alongside hundreds over the decades, the leg up to lead your ‘typical’ life.

Pictured: Furniture created by homeless shelter

I hope from what I have written, you can see how inspiring the people in the shelter are. Spending time with them today and teaching them career and English skills has been an absolute delight, albeit short due to Tiago’s tour. I am looking forward to getting to know them more, and to take one of them up on the offer of going to a typical Portuguese bakery and trying ‘Pastel de Belem’. For the moment, I will continue drinking my tinto vino & eat my now-cold dinner.