Thousands of people are moving to Portugal each year to experience the culture, change their lifestyle, work, retire or to join family and friends. It is a welcoming country with lots to offer. That said, moving to a new country can take time to adapt, so I have been exploring how volunteering can help.
Volunteering is an excellent way to integrate and contribute to your new community and make new friends and connections; very often, these are other expats who can share their experiences with you. Volunteering is known to increase your sense of belonging and acceptance, which is crucial for emotional well-being. For those who have established themselves in their new life, it can also help to develop routines and fulfilling activities.
I recently caught up with Carol Whittamore, Chair of the General Assembly at Madrugada Association, to find out about her experience of volunteering here in the Algarve and the Association’s plans to attract and retain more volunteers.
Firstly, Carol, for those who haven’t heard about the Madrugada Association, what does it do and who does it help?
Madrugada was established in 2009, and we provide end-of-life care and support for those affected by life-limiting illnesses. Our services are available to anyone regardless of nationality; patients can refer themselves or give permission to be referred by their doctor. There is no charge for this ‘hospice at home’ service provided by our dedicated and professional clinical team who provide palliative care and holistic support for our patients and their families, alongside providing adaptive equipment to allow patients to be comfortable at home. We provide our services free of charge, thanks to donations, fundraising and our network of charity shops in Luz, Lagos, Lagoa and Ferreiras, which are supported by our amazing volunteers.
I understand your role at Madrugada is a volunteer position. How and why did you get involved?
This is always a difficult question as I didn’t have one specific reason. I had volunteered for a national charity when I was living in the UK and it was something I missed when I moved to Lagos. I was curious about what Madrugada did and, after a couple of visits to the centre, I became hooked. It is a great way to meet new people, to make new friends. You can contribute in lots of different ways and commit as much time as you are able. While the care is provided by medical professionals, I still feel I am helping by giving my time, administration and organisation skills as a member of one of the boards.
What does volunteering for Madrugada look like and how can our readers get involved?
Great question. If you’ve got some spare time and want to make new friends, Madrugada has lots of different opportunities. As only a handful of people are employed in crucial roles, the organisation relies on the time, skills and generosity of our amazing volunteers.
Many of your readers will be familiar with our charity shops. We always need interested individuals for retail and logistic opportunities, and our clinical team also welcomes support when delivering/collecting medical equipment to patients’ homes. The lesser-known volunteer roles are those of the members of the three boards that make up the governing bodies. These are elected roles and candidates must be members of Madrugada. Each role is for four years.
A key challenge for us is to develop a pipeline of invested member volunteers who are willing to apply for the various roles on the boards. To help us achieve this, we are working to create two new workshop groups. The first will be volunteer support and liaison, followed by marketing, communications and events. New and existing members and volunteers will come together in these workshops to work on advancing specific projects aligned to the president’s action plan. We hope that by getting involved and becoming more informed and connected to the work of Madrugada, members from these groups will be encouraged to apply for the elected board roles, as they become available.
New faces are very welcome; they bring new ideas and energy. We would love to hear from any Tomorrow readers thinking about volunteering. Alongside retail operations, we are especially keen to make contact with volunteers with skills or experience relating to volunteer recruitment and retention, event planning and management, fundraising, marketing and communications.
Please seize the opportunity. Contact us for more information about the volunteer roles available by email at:
