Filhos do Coracao, located in Portugal, is one of Touch A Life’s Primary Education partners for 2016. On May 28th Filhos do Coracao held a gala to raise support and awareness for the children at the Touch A Life Care Center in Ghana. We talked to Alex Borges, the founder of the organization, to find out more about this wonderful event.
The event took place in Oporto City, in north Portugal. The gala was held on International Children’s Day in order to honor the children who were rescued from slavery by Touch A Life and Filhos do Coracao. A delicious dinner was served to all of the guests, and entertainment was provided by singers and actors who are well known in Portugal, including singer Mariza.
During the gala several children took on the role of “mini-reporters” who interviewed the guests in attendance and the sponsors of the event. One of the main attractions at the gala were the painted dresses worn by the Filhos do Coracao team. The designs on the dresses were painted by children in Ghana with Portuguese painter Diogo Navarro. The paintings were then digitized, manufactured into fabric, and crafted into dresses and skirts by famous Portuguese fashion designer, Micaela Oliveira. These dresses brought a little piece of Ghana to this gala in Portugal and brought the children’s artwork to life.
This event would not have been possible without the time and generosity of the guests and sponsors. Alex Borges told us that she had 20 volunteers and four full-time staff members who all helped prepare for the gala. The dress designer and fabricators, as well as the entertainers volunteered their time to the gala. The event was a huge success because of the generous volunteers who came together to raise support for the Touch A Life children in Ghana. We are so thankful to have such amazing supporters who are so passionate about ending child slavery.