MARIA'S VISIT TO PORTUGAL IN JUNE (2)

Soon in the morning of the 11th of June, Maria went to attend an interview in the Portuguese TV station TVI in "Você na TV".
In the afternoon Cristina drove Maria to Aveiro where she gave a presentation in the local school "Escola Secundária Dr. Mário Sacramento" to a young audience of students and a few teachers and guests . Thanks to Cristina who supported her in this conference, and the kind school team, Dean Mário Pimentel and Board President Teresa Correia.
Then Cristina drove Maria to Avanca to meet her school colleagues in the place where she studied during her childhood. The main purpose was to make a small movie... Nevertheless the TV station decided to step back and didn't send the videographer there as it had been agreed before. One more of the usual setbacks that upset Maria in her humanitarian life !
Let's state that her colleagues were there as agreed having some come from a long distance to attend the meeting and to make the video. Well, not all has been lost and the party has been run without the movie...
At night there was a diner near Avanca, offered by Priest José Henriques, present with Maria, her school colleagues, a few volunteers and the special presences of the President of Estarreja Council José Eduardo de Matos and Dr. Marisa Macedo who offered her help in the legal field.
On the following day some volunteers have come to meet Maria; Cristiana, Frederico and Teresa have lent some of their time to talk with her and to take some pictures having Frederico even paid a photographer to do it.
In the afternoon, Maria was present in two churches where she had been invited to. The first was the Mother Church of Oliveira do Bairro. Inside, she met a group composed mainly by young people. She gave them a briefing on what she has been doing for the last years in the humanitarian field, followed by questions and answers. And at the end they collected a very good donation to help Maria in charity work. Thanks to Cristina, worker in the vineyard of the Lord in this church, who organized it all and yet she offered a snack in the middle of that afternoon and later she made a last hour invitation to diner.
After the snack offered by Cristina above, Maria was driven to the Mother Church of Fermentelos and was present in the evening celebration. The people at this church formed a fabulous team to make and sell sweets and other things to collect funds to help Maria. Huge thanks to Priest Costa Leite and the terrific and enthusiastic team around him, whose work brought such a big fundraise towards Maria!
The 3rd day was intended to be an administration day and to meet a few people from Brazil who are related to humanitarian field in the Brazilian slums as lawyer António Afonso to whom huge thanks are addressed for the the lift from Aveiro to Lisbon in the middle of the night, and representatives of local church involved in the help to slum dwellers !
Finally our thanks to Cristina Ribau for having driven Maria all the way from Lisbon to Aveiro and around, and to Vítor Neto for having given his support during the TVI interview !!!