ASOCIACION SUBUD (RODA VIVA) - PORTUGAL
This inspirational school and educational project in Lisbon brings a unique holistic approach to supporting both disadvantged children and their caregivers.
In 1980, a pair of teachers in Portugal were keenly aware of the poverty and problems in integration suffered by families of refugees from the Portuguese colonies, and the seed was sown for the founding of the school that would later become known as Asociacion Subud in the Roda Viva neighbourhood of the capital, with support from the Susila Dharma-supported International Child Development Programme.
Ever since, the project’s mission has been to support children, from pre-school up to 18 years old, facing various developmental delays. Through the provision of supportive childcare and specialised therapeutic services, Asociacion Subud is dedicated to promoting the social integration of children from disadvantaged minorities and at-risk groups, and individuals with disabilities within the local community.
Asociacion Subud 's commitment to early intervention and prevention is at the heart of its transformative work.
Financial support from SD Britain and others in the international SD network has played a crucial role in sustaining a team of specialists, including a social worker, psychologist, speech therapist, two psychomotor therapists, a teacher for after-school classes and a teacher for the youth movement. The provision of extra professional therapies and special activities, particularly for hyperactive, physically disabled, autistic or mentally disabled children, embodies the 'home in the community' aspect of the project's social work, extending support to both parents and children. In recent years, with support from SD Britain and others, the project has been able to extend its services with a fantastic new pre-school nearby that the team there are particularly proud of.
With a current enrolment of 144 children, including 86 in nurseries and 48 in various preschool rooms, Asociacion Subud serves predominantly refugee and immigrant families. Many hail from Portugal's former colonies—Angola, Timor Leste, Mozambique and Cape Verde—but in recent years the demographic has been changing and the refugee children are coming from other countries such as Ukraine and South East Asia. While nursery services are provided free of charge, government subsidies for preschool children fall short of covering essential needs such as building maintenance, school supplies and staff salaries.
Asociacion Subud 's impact extends beyond traditional academic teaching and learning. Afternoons witness the gathering of up to 30 youths aged 12-18, engaging in activities such as dance, music, football and other sports. Remarkably, some of these youths, now teenagers and assistants, were once the young ones benefiting from the school's nurturing environment.
in December 2022 the Director of Social Services in Lisbon visited the project to discuss expanding the project’s current outreach into the community to include other groups, as well as older people who would be able to attend classes and access the therapies in a new community centre.
A new enterprise development in the project is an outreach programme to employers in the city to offer parenting skills and support. This is with the aim of broadening the impact of Asociacion Subud's name and reputation, and raising funds for the project in an independent way, within an environment that is challenged by the changing economy and lack of government support for this much-needed community service. SD Britain is pleased to see how the project is aiming for more sustainability in difficult times.