Doing a lot with a little

➔ Amandine Bouillet

It’s not unusual that immigrants in foreign countries organize themselves to care for each other, and this is the context where Amandine Bouillet was brought up.

In the local association of Portuguese immigrants in France, she had access to activities every weekend. “That’s how I went camping for the first time or got support in my school studies. Many people volunteered in those associations. My mother taught sewing classes at the social center. It was a way of experiencing the neighbourhood. I think that's where my desire to change people's conditions comes from”.

Being no stranger to community work, Amandine has built a life around it. She took a professional course to learn how to work with elderly people, which gave her the chance to visit Bulgaria under an Erasmus project. “Going abroad opened my eyes and I decided to study more, so I got a university degree in Social Organisation Management.”

France has a history of urban policies designed specifically for peripheral areas turned into cities, partly because Paris had been dealing with huge ghettos for 40 years.

That proved interesting to Amandine, so she decided to do a masters degree in Administration and Management of Territories and Communities, with a focus on working with social housing quarters. “By then, I had realised I didn't want to be a social worker or focus only on one type of population. I wanted to work with different types of audiences, directly in the community environment”.

She also got a scholarship to study Social Studies in Canada and went on to do her Master's dissertation in Brasília, in a neighbourhood of scavengers, right next to the largest garbage dump in Brazil.

Escaping Bureaucracy

At 25 yo, Amandine took a job in a French municipality and soon enough there was a huge responsibility and administrative burden on her shoulders. Also, managing several social centres in a highly politicised context didn’t allow for enough contact with the populations. “I felt I was too young to have that kind of job. When I was about to turn 30, I left.”

Not sure what to do next, she applied for a visa to work in Canada and while waiting, why not go on a summer vacation in Portugal? And after spending some time visiting her elders, why not try to have at least one working experience before leaving? She sent emails to many social work associations offering to work for free, since she could benefit from a French grant. But because she was going to turn 30 within a month, she would soon lose the chance to apply. So whoever replied first to her application, would get her. She ended up joining an association as a guide for French social working interns who came to Lisbon for learning experiences. “Basically, I acted as a tourist guide for French people in Lisbon... But it was a good experience because I started to know the city very well.”

With Covid hitting and the French grant running out, Amandine faced two choices: put an end to a wonderful experience and return to France, or go to Canada for work because the Visa had finally come true.

“I felt so good here, that I decided to stay. Doing what, I didn't know. But I've never been afraid of working. When you're abroad, any job can be a cool experience - even bartending”, she recalls.

Bairro Branco [White Borough]

As Covid-related restrictions started to be imposed, Amandine couldn’t help thinking about how chaotic the situation would be in some of the places she had seen. Soon she volunteered to help distribute food. “An association from Penha da França accepted my help to go distribute food and help children who didn't have computers or internet to do their homework. They sent me to a place officially called Bairro Municipal Carlos Botelho. But no one has ever called it by that name.”

She’s talking about a part of Lisbon that used to be known as the slums of Curraleira and Casal do Pinto, but in the past decade was divided into several parishes, with different names and borders. It includes Bairro do Portugal Novo, formerly known as Olaias, Bairro Azul, from the parish of Areeiro, Bairro Branco, which belongs to the parish of Beato, and both Quinta do Lavrado and Bairro Horizonte, under the parish of Penha da França. There is also a new development project called Casal do Pinto, in Beato, which has been in a halt since 2018 in a halt. All these people used to be part of the same community.

Amandine works in Bairro Branco. “You have to call it Bairro Branco of Lisbon, because there are others named similarly in Portugal, built with the same purpose. There’s one just in the south bank, in Monte da Caparica. Actually we see it all across Europe: social housing like this, assembled in a closed circuit.”

We ask her to tell us about “her” Beato, and this is what she sees: “Bairro Branco is at the end of a valley, literally in a hole. We’re beyond the train line. There’s no infrastructure or public spaces. It was forgotten for a long time and turned into a very closed place. Nobody comes here. There are no shops, no cafes, nothing. Not a bench to sit outside, much less a health centre. There are no green spaces, no squares. There is nothing. Why would people come?”

There’s a different Beato erupting down by the riverside. One with public gardens. The contrast does not go unnoticed by local residents, Amandine tells us.

“It can make them feel like second grade citizens, watching development happen from the sidelines. Many people who live here used to work in the factories which are now being repurposed for new companies. Now they see this moment and hope it brings better jobs and opportunities for themselves and their children. Amidst all these momentum, let’s not have them be forgotten.”

But it’s not just about better jobs and pay. Receiving an invitation from anyone “on the other side of Beato” can go a long way. So far, VMBA accepted invitations to bring their seniors for a cup of coffee inside Beato Innovation District, for a few Salvation Army’s Pizza & Love Thursday lunches, and for a BBQ at Factory’s rooftop with the company representatives.

“For a long time, we would take the children to a museum, and they would say “We’re going to Lisbon”, when they actually live in the center of the city. We had 14-year-old teenagers who’d never been to the beach and the first time we took them across the bridge, thought the river Tejo was the sea. So you see how entering these spaces can help break down barriers, both geographical and psychological, and open up their world”, Amandine says.

That’s how the life gets in

As much as Amandine was used to working in ghettos, gaining entrance to Bairro Branco wasn’t easy. “At first, I didn't go in. I just came with the van and left the bags of food in front of the school. Women - it's always women here! - would wait for me, pick the bags and distribute them into the buildings. Little by little, I started to gain the people’s trust and even during the pandemic they would invite me in for coffee. I could see they were very isolated, especially the elderly. Many didn't know how to print the papers they needed to get tested for Covid, so I started printing the papers. Then I realised the kids couldn't do their homework because there were no computers, so I got a printer. Covid helped me to get in, because people had no other option. That's when I realised the drama that was going on in people's homes, with everything that was missing. It was very complicated.”

A residents' association, which had been created in 2011 to help legalize clandestine housing, was trying to get a place from the municipality to start a sort of community centre. Seeing Amandine around, its VP approached her.

“You're from France and you’ve worked on social projects, right? Don't you want to work here? We are getting a place and we need help to think about what to do there and how to apply for public funding. Come, you start tomorrow.”

And she did. As soon as the pandemic slowed down, Amandine started going in the bairro everyday, talking to anyone who would open the door and trying to get close. She asked: what could improve people’s everyday lives? “People started talking about the lack of health response or the desire for an uncluttered space to hang out and develop a feeling of belonging. The elderly were the first to come. A small group started showing up for breakfast, then they would call another small group. We started to organize the people in age forums, each group thinking about how to occupy this new community space, always answering the question: what's missing?”.

What does VMBA do?

Five years have gone by and if you visit Viver Melhor no Beato association (VMBA), the place is constantly buzzing. People show up to use the computer and printer, to bring new cushions they made for the living room, to borrow games from the library or just ask if anyone can take them to the swimming pool.

“We have a health room for checkups and consultations, a multi-activity space for the elderly and neighbourhood mediators to accompany those who can't leave their homes. They either help bathe or just sit for a chat. We also have leisure and recreational activities for seniors, including sports and tourism. One of the most beautiful projects we have, Return to the Homeland, was designed to take older residents, who migrated to Lisbon decades ago and never went back, to visit their origins. For young people, there are camps, workshops, and arts. For the kids, we have after-school activities during Christmas, Easter and Summer breaks, a camp and some events throughout the year. And since we depend heavily on volunteer work, many youngsters volunteer to help manage activities for children and seniors. As a consequence, a few already want to become sociocultural animators and are studying for that. ”

But VMBA’s most impressive work is the “solidarity service”, which benefits mostly the people who are currently homeless or have poor conditions in their homes. It includes showers and changing rooms, a social laundry, a bank of clothes and hygiene products, medicine supplies, canes and walkers to lend, a community kitchen, a hairdresser and beautician - because self-esteem matters. It also includes access to legal and administrative support in navigating bureaucracy. “Many residents left school very young, so we started offering literacy classes by request of the community”, Amandine explains.

There are always community events for the holidays, like a Carnival party or a Christmas lunch. That’s where many local children saw Santa Claus for the first time. Women's Day is marked every year. And in addition to these activities, every community member can submit a project and entrepreneurship is encouraged.

As Amandine puts it, “when you have an open space, water and electricity, a lot of things can happen.”

It takes a village

VMBA has a paid team of four. Amandine, you’ve met. Filipa is a local who studied sociocultural animation and now runs the bureaucracy-support office. Tiago is a community mediator and caregiver, who provides most of the care for the elderly and other vulnerable audiences, such as people with drug addictions. Catarina handles logistics, shopping, transportation of children to activities, etc.

This team relies on volunteers. From the neighbourhood, there’s around 40 people to help in different areas of work. At any given moment, there’re 15 people available to help - from seniors who want to stay active, to children's parents to help drive kids to the cinema or decorate for a holiday.

Volunteers also come from outside the neighborhood. Tamara comes twice a month to do nails, Jaime, a barber from Bairro Alto, cuts hair on-demand. Jean-Pierre, who’s in Lisbon for a PhD, volunteers writing funding applications in English. According to Amandine, “these people have enormous recognition and are seen as references around here.”

Fundraising in the social economy

Lisbon social impact projects can apply for city grants. VMBA currently lives on a €50k grant per year from the city. Eligible projects must have a social innovation aspect to them and operate around partnerships. Other municipal grant programs offer smaller contributions to specific activities, like promoting sports activities for the population. Public funding is also available from Beato Parish Council, to pay for community celebrations and events.

As for private funding, VMBA gets bundles of products from Entreajuda, a support network for social solidarity institutions that receives and redistributes donations. A supermarket chain gave them a thousand euros to spend on consumer goods. Sometimes, people hear about the project in the media and make small donations.

According to Amandine, their biggest challenge is to engage more companies. In recent years, the number of activities at VMBA has exploded because the residents became involved. “The volunteers are well trained, and there is a rhythm in place. Yet our funding didn’t grow. We need new partners to help us, and help that can look like a donation or like writing a joint application for European funding.”

Recently however, there are new companies setting up offices in Beato - many of which at Factory Lisbon - which seem to exhibit an openness to engage with the community. “We have a new really interesting partnership with a private company, SIXT.

After visiting our space and sitting down to discuss common challenges in Beato, we designed a joint collaboration. Their employees can do a paid day per month of volunteer work with us. They can teach English, tutor during kid’s study hours, volunteer at community events, or perform marketing and communication tasks. We have a calendar from which SIXT employees can choose the activities they want to volunteer for.

Through the Regine SIXT Children's Aid Foundation, we’ve also been awarded a donation of €9k to add to our community centre a playground and educational space for children. It will be equipped with adapted furniture, video projectors and magnetic boards for classes, notebooks and pencils, toys that are not second-hand, games that still have all the pieces to play, and books with a smell of brand new”, Amandine tells us.

Amandine thinks most of these newcomer companies have a very innovative profile and can contribute to social innovation. “They are all very welcome to just visit and get to know us. There is a hidden Lisbon, like in any European capital, with parallel realities, which anyone can help make better, through donations and volunteer work. And if companies choose to get involved, we can imagine projects together...”

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