Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

Madam President of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation,
President of the Grand Council,
Mayor of Coimbra,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to be associated with the award ceremony of the Nuno Viegas Nascimento Prize, which was constituted on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation. Symbolically it is held on the day that the Foundation celebrates another anniversary.

The Prize itself and the institution which receives it today, the Child Association, would be reason enough to justify the relevance of this ceremony and the interest of the President of the Republic.

But it is equally a good opportunity to publicly testify the appreciation and admiration for the work that this Foundation has been achieving.

And an opportunity as well to underline the figure of the patron of the Prize, Eng. Nuno Viegas Nascimento, with whom I am happy to have been well acquainted.
The Bissaya Barreto Foundation is in many ways an exemplary institution. It is a private initiative dedicated to provide for needs and difficulties, to contribute towards the improvement of social conditions, particularly of the more vulnerable segments, such as the children and the aged. Its mission has been carried out complementing the activities of the State, where this has been shown as insufficient or neglected.

The basis of the Foundation has doubtlessly been the altruistic spirit of its founder, Prof. Bissaya Barreto. But there is also the inclination for enterprising initiative. An initiative which did not wait for the State. On the contrary, it has in itself been an encouragement, an added pressure for the State to shoulder its responsibilities. It has provided benefits, throughout these fifty years, for many needy people, particularly in central Portugal.

The regard for children, their requirements, their difficulties, their specific demands, is contained in the basic charter of the Foundation, which also interprets the generous and visionary spirit of Prof. Bissaya Barreto.

The future of our local communities, of our regions, of our Country depends upon the quality which we are able to guarantee in the training and social conditions of children.

The Foundation has also been innovatory. It has not limited itself to offer assistance, service or support. It has endeavoured to promote social innovation to increase the effectiveness of social activities and to be able to benefit excluded segments of the population.

Several instances exist of innovatory initiatives, some of which generate a stimulating demonstrative effect. This is the case with the Bencata Deafness Institute and with the SOS-Woman initiative to protect women subject to domestic violence. Portugal dos Pequenitos (Portugal of the Very Small) was a forerunner of permanent thematic exhibitions dedicated to promote the culture and values of national identity.

This capacity for enterprise and innovation which the Foundation has shown is an example for civil society and a warning for the State.

An example for new private initiatives which may gather inspiration from the Foundation’s activities. A warning for the State so that it learns to act as a partner, ally and supporter of the initiatives of civil society which aim to improve the quality of life of the Portuguese.

Continuing faithful to the principles and the mission which are its bases, the Foundation has known how to act always in line with the time in which it lives, mindful of the development of the society it endeavours to serve and to the mutations in the challenges it has to face.

It is in this context that I want to publicly reveal the contribution of Eng. Nuno Viegas Nascimento who, for almost three decades, until mid 2008, led the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.

I was able to witness the human qualities of Eng. Nuno Viegas Nascimento in several circumstances and occasions. To start with, for his integrity, his manners, the transparency in his activities, his faith in values, in all the values which distinguish those who are deserving of public respect.

He left us too early, unfortunately, but bequeathed extraordinary work and a not less notable example of life and action.

The creation of the Bissaya Barreto School, in the mid nineties, was one of the symbols of his work, adopting, in basic schooling, an innovative model of attention and dedication not just for the students, but also for their families. Innovative as well, as an inclusive school.

The constitution of the Bissaya Barreto Higher Education Institute, another marked initiative of Eng. Viegas Nascimento, gave the Foundation the possibility of contributing directly towards training at university level, for study and scientific research, specifically in areas of child health, domestic violence and social gerontology.

The Ferrer Correia Centre for juridical training, dedicated to post graduate training, complemented the higher educational structure of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.

The Prize awarded today to the Child Association, a body which has recognizably contributed to improvement in child education, fulfils a triple objective: prestige for this Foundation, honour for the name of Eng. Viegas Nascimento and encouragement for the initiative and the activities of civil society in the areas and topics which correspond to the mission of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.

As known, I started, several days ago, a new route dedicated to innovatory local communities. Local initiatives, particularly those that innovate, in the economic, social or cultural fields, must be valued and encouraged. There is great potential there to be exploited in the service of the economic and social development of our people. Both the Bissaya Barreto Foundation and the Child Association belong in this perspective which in my opinion must be encouraged by the State.

I thus highly congratulate the Child Association and naturally its officers led by Prof. Doctor João Formosinho, as well as all the team that worked on the “Infancy Project” celebrated here today with the Nuno Viegas Nascimento Prize. That this prize be a further stimulus for you to continue working in the defence of a school which is ever better qualified and equipped to train the children of our times.

I want to address a final word to Dr. Patricia Viegas Nascimento, as president of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation. Keep on with your mission, maintain alive the spirit of service, innovation and enterprise, and strengthen the bonds with the communities near to you. Because your contribution is an added value for the inclusive society we wish for Portugal.