In their Headquarters in Fatima, Portugal, members of the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) carried out several workshops both as a preparation for the projects to be done in Angola, and for the making of items that have been used in the dissemination of the campaign “Embrace the Angola Humanitarian Mission.”
The workshops have been active since January and have included the participation of members of the Flor de Lys Light-Community, the Grace Mercy Order, the Light-Network and other collaborators who have been essential to the success of the initiative.
According to Anderson Santiago, humanitarian aid volunteer who will be part of the Angola Humanitarian Mission, the workshops will take place through the setting up of a training center in the facilities of the Santa Isabel Charity Work for Children (OCSI), and must promote an improvement in the quality of life, also through professional skills, cooperation and autonomy of adolescents and young people. Furthermore, together with Caritas of Angola, there will be a continuation of the initiatives for food and nutritional safety.
“These workshops will be focused on stimulating skills, among them motor and fine motor coordination, spacial and mathematical vision, concentration, logical thinking, the understanding of beginning, middle and end processes, laterality, autonomy, concentration, and creativity. Besides stimulating sustainable practices and promoting the improvement of food and nutritional safety, and consequently, that of health”, says Anderson.
Workshops held:
- Making multi-mixture flour, dehydrated soups and fruits.
The multi-mixture flour is a food supplement for children, young people and the elderly in vulnerable situations, with a full use of food regionally available.
It enriches the usual diet with various minerals, vitamins and fiber, and is made up of roasted bran (rice, wheat and corn), dark green leaf powder (manioc, pumpkin,, sweet potato or moringa), and crushed seeds (sesame, pumpkin, watermelon, sunflower or peanut).
The dehydration of soups and fruits is a valuable way of conserving food, taking advantage of seasonal resources in nature, and having them last for longer periods. It consists in removing a large portion of the water in the vegetables, concentrating their nutritional calories, benefits and physical properties, such as color and taste, and it assures a greater preservation of their nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
- Soap Workshop
It teaches how to make vegan and eco-friendly handmade soaps, made with natural ingredients that do not harm the environment nor are tested on animals, and can be used for personal use, given as a gift, or a way of generating income.
- Building a Solar Dehydrator
Dehydration is one of the oldest techniques for conserving food, and the procedure continues to be current and effective, and is aimed at supplying the demand for technologies able to handle small productions that have few financial resources.
The workshops present the step by step building of a low cost dehydrator. The pieces for making the dehydrator are simple and can easily be found in local businesses.
- Production of textile items: water bottle holder, dish towels and hand towels
Sewing is an ancient form of manual practice. Deepening this knowledge with adolescents is much more than teaching a set of techniques; it is a connection with ancestry and history.
Furthermore, learning to make a sewn piece both by hand or on a machine, can in the future be a form of livelihood, since working with sewing makes it possible to make many different pieces for decoration, bed, table and bathroom, handicrafts, clothing, as well as makeovers, customizing and putting together outfits.
- Production of wooden keychains
The intent is to bring about an integration between theory and practice with wood, equipment, and tools.
At an educational level, the objective is to stimulate self-responsibility in the participants, reflecting upon their decisions and how these can affect their plans of life over the short, middle and long term.
- Hand puppets workshop
The idea is to teach the theater technique for hand puppets, as well as how to structure small theatrical pieces within the context of each humanitarian mission.
Through imagination, music, and the scripts that are built, it is possible to work on values, psycho-emotional reinforcement, and reinforcing positive behavior in a playful and creative way. It is an important tool in art-education focused on overcoming trauma.
- Hand puppets workshop
The idea is to teach the theater technique for hand puppets, as well as how to structure small theatrical pieces within the context of each humanitarian mission.
Through imagination, music, and the scripts that are built, it is possible to work on values, psycho-emotional reinforcement, and reinforcing positive behavior in a playful and creative way. It is an important tool in art-education focused on overcoming trauma.
