A Doctors of the World has set itself the target for this year of raising funds to continue developing its projects in Portugal. The outreach campaign planned for 2016 aims to counteract a trend of more requests for help and a decrease in the financial support received.

Lisbon, March 9th, 2016 - Médicos do Mundo is launching a publicity campaign to raise funds for 2016, so that the association can continue to operate the various national support projects it currently runs. Faced with a trend towards more cases of poverty and social exclusion, the association is receiving more and more requests for help, while at the same time struggling with a decrease in public, corporate and private financial support, which represented a loss of 215,000 euros in donations between 2011 and 2015.

In the current climate, the Portuguese delegation of Médecins du Monde has been forced to interrupt its international intervention, directing the scarce resources available to it to actions in Portugal. Médecins du Monde's Strategic Plan (2016-2020) foresees the resumption of international interventions, with projects in the organization's technical field and with strategic partnerships.

In Portugal, Médecins du Monde has eight projects supporting various types of groups at risk and improving the lives of more than 5,000 people a year. These include:

• The projects Pharmacists, Hidden Port, Mobile Health, Santo António Housing Unit e Medicines Bank in support for the excluded populationThis includes the development of Primary Health Care in a community context, the distribution of medicines and actions to reduce the transmission of HIV among at-risk populations;
• The project Like ME in intervention with young peopleThe aim is to promote the mental health of young people between the ages of 10 and 12, with preferential intervention aimed at a population with reduced access to health care and in a situation of vulnerability;
• The projects Knowing how to live e Healthy Living in support for the elderlyThis is a great opportunity to learn about the potential of these individuals and the active role that seniors can play in the social life of their communities.

To achieve this goal, Médecins du Monde is preparing to run the "WE ARE ALL VISIBLE" campaign until the end of the year. The message will serve as a motto for a series of publicity actions, seeking to present the organization's activities and raise contributions from donors, partners and volunteers to enable it to continue providing free basic health care to the most vulnerable populations and combat discrimination against them. The campaign kicks off with a Solidarity Concert on March 22 in Lisbon.

For Fernando Vasco, Vice-President of Médecins du Monde, "The motto for this event and for the entire campaign to promote Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) throughout this year is the association's relevance and actions. A fundamental dimension of our work is our ability to give a voice to the voiceless, to make those who are most often forgotten and ignored visible and the target of attention and commitment. This mission naturally involves mobilizing resources, which are essential if the planned actions are to actually happen and have an effective impact on the population we support".

The solidarity of different partners and individuals is essential to raise funds for the association's activities and to make these projects operational. For the first initiative of the campaign, the association has the support of Bridge, Lisbon City Council, CHM Acrílicos, Family First, fredbobone, Miss&Moustache, Movimento Pessoas@2020, Ophelia, QuickCom, Say U Consulting, SAPO, Sisley Paris, Teatro Tivoli BBVA, Ticketline and Topázio and the sponsorship of Banco Primus, Destak newspaper and Grupo Pinto & Cruz.