LEQUE wins Manuel António da MotaAward

Leque – Associação Transmontana de Pais e Amigos das Crianças com Necessidades Educativas Especiais (Association of Parents and Friends of Children with Special Learning Needs)won the Manuel António da Mota award. It was delivered by the Minister of Solidarity and Social Security, Pedro Mota Soares on December 4. The Palácio da Bolsa in Oporto once again staged this event. Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, attended the opening session.

In its 2nd edition and under the auspices of the Manuel António da Mota Foundation, the Manuel António da Mota Award aims to reward organisations that promote volunteering actions and which are particularly engaged in community volunteering.

The activities and projects developed within this field could apply to a wide range of population segments, which include the elderly, children and youth, the disabled, the sick and in general any social groups living hardships or socially, economically, psychologically or affectively deprived.

From 100 applications received from private social solidarity institutions, municipalities, non-profit associations, NGOs and other organisations from the third sector, representing various areas of the country, 10 finalists were chosen by the selection committee.

The selection process complied with a set of social, technical, institutional and economic criteria provided for in the award regulations and applicable to the analysis of the application form followed by a series of visits to the finalist institutions by the members of the jury that were able to analyse in loco the activities developed and thus chose the winner.