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Relaxed, with her two-year-old son on her lap, Clarissa Kosdra, 35, knows she is in the right place when she approaches, on foot, five motorhomes parked near the Hospital de Santa María in Lisbon.
“I have a car full of things to donate. Can I park it here?” He asks. “You can, of course”, respond solicitously Ricardo Paiágua, 38, and Manuel Palma, 25. Minutes later, it is with enthusiasm that they help Felipe Kosdra, 36, to leave in a van belonging to EMEL, a municipal company that supervises the parking of the capital, dozens of bottles of water.
Less than a week ago, Paiágua saw the images of ambulance lines in front of various hospitals in the country and decided to launch the “Solidarity Bed.” Since then, donations and contact with people who want to participate in the initiative have not stopped. The movement aims to provide, without asking for any compensation, food and a bed in the immediate vicinity of health units to front-line professionals who need to rest or prefer not to go home to sleep.
More than 20 have already shown interest in benefiting from the aid, including in Porto and Aveiro, less than the spaces that “Solidária Bed” has available, according to the project mentor. There are already around 100 homes and 600 motorhomes, all provided free of charge by third parties. The goal, Paiágua tells JN, is that by the end of next week vehicles can be transferred to public and private hospitals in all districts. For now, there are still five left, in Santa María.
missing coordinators
“I don’t understand anything about motorhomes,” says the founder of a creative agency, laughing, his long dark circles showing how little he has been sleeping in recent days. Among the owners who donated the 600 vehicles, ready to move where needed, is João Neves, a Vanscape partner. With the track tourism sector, the company is going to close, but that is not why it wanted to help.
“We feel that we are collaborating in some way,” emphasizes João Neves, confident that the vehicles will return in good condition.
Safety is also one of Paiágua’s concerns, as is the delegation of tasks. “We need coordinators,” he admits.
Marta Augusto, 28, and Gonçalo Pereira, 22, just wanted to help with whatever was necessary. But, after a visit to the motorhomes parked with EMEL authorization near Santa María, they ended up being directed to a more responsible function: coordinating the future positions at Hospital Amadora-Sintra and Cascais.
Among the tasks, explains the unemployed flight attendant, are the contact with the health units, the definition of the volunteer scale and the management of donations. For now, they can only be delivered to the Santa María post office. Hygiene products and energy drinks are some of the necessities.
Applications can be made online
Those interested in having a bed to sleep can register on the website Camasolidaria.pt. Simply indicate the hospital where you work and when you want to stay overnight. The project will then contact them. The initiative is aimed at doctors, nurses, assistants, firefighters, policemen and security guards.
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