The new Portuguese Ambassador to Venezuela, João Pedro Vasconcelos Fins do Lago, told the Lusa news agency that he will prioritize the social needs of the Portuguese-Venezuelans in his work agenda.
“The social agenda will always be a top concern and a permanent item on my agenda,” the diplomat said.
João Pedro Vasconcelos Fins do Lago spoke to the Lusa agency at the end of a visit to Father Joaquim Ferreira’s Nursing Home, which currently hosts 58 elderly people of Portuguese-Venezuelan origin in Los Anacos (38 km south of Caracas).
“I would like to wish this institution all the best, to tell them that I will be here many times, both in this and in others. […] and that support and attention [do Estado português] will never be missed. I also wish them all the best, because wishing the best for these institutions means achieving a better life for the Portuguese here,” he said.
“I arrived only three months ago, but there was a topic that I really wanted to cover. […] it is a theme of solidarity, social needs that also exist in Portuguese communities and communities of Portuguese immigrants,” he said.
The ambassador explained to the Lusa agency that it is necessary to be very attentive “to all Portuguese and in particular to the descendants of the Portuguese, to those who most of all need support from the state, civil society and the attention of everyone as a community.” .
“Lar Padre Joaquim Ferreira, where I came here for the first time with great pleasure, is an exemplary institution that stands out precisely for the expression of this solidarity of the Portuguese with those who need it most,” he said.
The diplomat stressed that this is the third social support institution he visited in a week, as well as visits to the NGO Regala Una Sonrisa (Give a Smile) and Sociedade de Beneficência de Damas Portuguesas.
“I will come back to this many times because I want to continue to express our interest in protecting the most vulnerable through civil society and also through the state, and here civil society joins in, which is absolutely extraordinary,” he said. .
When asked about the difficulties of these institutions and whether the support of the Portuguese state is sufficient to guarantee their functioning and the attention they give to the Portuguese, the diplomat explained that all this is necessary so that attention is not insufficient.
“Support is never enough. Let’s not have any illusions about this. Support is always what is meant to grow, never to be absent. And that is why the monitoring of these cases by the state is very important (…) Now let’s say that there is enough support. I think there is not enough support in this life, not in the next, not in this world, not in the next,” he said.
According to the ambassador, state support and “motivation of civil society” are important.
“When I talk about civil society, I mean institutions like the Charitable Ladies of Caracas, who are 53 years old and support 75 families for one month with food, but also with health, or institutions like this (Lar da Terceira Idade) , in which there are more than fifty elderly people, some of whom are in a difficult situation,” he stressed.
“If we all stand together shoulder to shoulder to support those who need it most, then we will almost think that there is enough support. It will never come, and it will always be a long journey that we will continue,” he concluded.