Charity called Castelo de Sonhos sponsors this new event
Here’s a brilliant idea for spreading Christmas joy among our children: a toy-swap. Old toys become familiar, and no longer interesting to their owners. Why not swap them for new ones?
“It’s a great way for toys to have a second life,” said Rita Pinto of Castelo de Sonhos, a family charity that has been operating in Silves for 30 years. “Instead of toys just taking up space, they find a new home.”
With an eye on saving money and also saving the planet, why throw away perfectly good toys? There are plenty of children who would love to play with them. Perhaps it’s a good way for everyone to talk about consuming less. It could be a Christmas present for the environment.
“All of the donated and swapped toys are inspected before being offered to new owners,” said Pinto, creator of the Toy Swap, “Many of the donated toys are actually brand new, and all of them are in excellent condition.”
The toy-swap was held at the festive holiday fair in the Praça Al Mutamid, which is in the center of Silves. It’s as fun as any toy store, as cheerful children look at all the offerings. It’s also refreshing to see no money changing hands. You could say it’s a community “Father Christmas”.
The toy-swap initiative is the newest of countless kind-hearted projects that the “Castelo de Sonhos” has provided to the Silves community. According to their information, Silves is the second poorest city in the Algarve. The existence of large families with low incomes is one of the municipality’s major problems.
Castelo de Sonhos is a non-profit organization. The group’s objectives are to support children in the areas of education and health; to prevent social, physical, and psychological risk; to provide diverse care at underprivileged homes, to improve access to community resources, and to develop recreational activities.
A professional team is made up of five employees with training in the areas of Psychology, Social Work, Social Education and Sociology. Volunteers help with fundraising, guidance, and the operation of a charity shop. New volunteers and donations are always welcome.
For more information please view the website at: www.castelodesonhos.pt
Words and photos by ERIC ROTH
|| features@portugalresident.com
Eric Roth is a lifelong photojournalist who has recently emigrated from Boston, USA to the Algarve. He loves nature and wildlife. 926 742 687 | ericrothphoto@gmail.com
