Marco Carvalho
The Department of Mathematics of the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM) recently made a donation of 7,500 patacas to Caritas Macau. The money will help the institution led by Paul Pun Chi Meng to fund food distribution efforts aimed at non-resident workers stranded in Macau. Many of them are in a situation of food insecurity. On Sunday, the organization will promote a new food distribution session.
The prize draw of two opulent baskets among students and teachers of the Portuguese School of Macau helped to raise 7,500 patacas, which were later donated to Caritas Macau. The initiative, called “Solidarity and Mathematics,” was promoted by the Department of Mathematics of the Portuguese School of Macau, with the aim of helping to alleviate the burden of those most in need. The information was confirmed to O Clarim by Paul Pun, who revealed that the amount will be used to reinforce the food distribution program regularly promoted by the organization.
The initiative targets non-resident workers who are stuck in the territory, most of them in a situation of great food insecurity: “This initiative was promoted by a group of teachers, but several others were organized by the Portuguese School of Macau in the past. The school has already promoted food raising campaigns on three occasions,” the secretary general of Caritas explains. “Both the food and the donations are usually directed to the food distribution initiatives that Caritas Macau organizes every fortnight. These actions target the neediest, mainly among the non-resident population,” Paul Pun Chi Meng adds.
Since September last year, the institution has organized more than thirty food distribution sessions. On June 27th, more than 600 people – mostly unemployed migrant workers – flocked to Caritas services with the aim of securing a bag of food. A new round of items distribution will take place next Sunday: “This initiative will be staged at one of Caritas’ activity centres and we are hoping to welcome around 600 people again”, Paul Pun assumes.
Among those seeking help from Caritas are mainly non-resident workers of Indonesian and Filipino nationality, but also citizens from Vietnam and Myanmar, the secretary general of Caritas Macau said.
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