Around 20 participants, including elderly people and volunteers from the VIDA - Voluntariado na Católica and the Par e Passo Project of Cáritas Diocesana de Lisboa, took part in two sessions on "Health and Memory" in the parishes of Benfica and Penha de França on 5 and 6 April, organised by UCP volunteer Janaína Fabri.

"At the Par e Passo Project we share stories and experiences every week that oxygenate our lives. It's a feeling of fulfilment and life purpose to give a little of our time, building meaningful emotional relationships that transform realities", shares Janaína Fabri, a VIDA Project volunteer and doctoral student at the Universidade Federal Fluminense, having started a phase of her doctorate at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Nursing, under the supervision of Sílvia Caldeira.

Recently, this project hosted a special moment, an opportunity to expand horizons and take care not only of the body, but also of the mind. According to the organiser of the action, this experience went beyond simple help: "It's much more than helping: it's learning to be the ear that listens, the eyes that perceive, the hands that welcome, offering the best of yourself and encouraging others to find the best in themselves."

The participants' testimonies echo the essence of this meeting. "I came here with a pain that medicine can't take away and I leave here with a joy that medicine can't give", shares one of the participants in the Par e Passo Project.

For her part, Sofia Mendonça, Coordinator of the VIDA Project at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, celebrates this collaboration as a tangible example of the University's commitment to the human formation of its students. "Cáritas Diocesana de Lisboa's Par e Passo Project is yet another example of the importance of putting knowledge at the service of the community. This synergy reinforces the University's investment in the human formation of its students, and adds value to the remarkable work of social organisations."

More information: voluntariado.sede@ucp.pt