Baby Bank

The Baby Bank is an initiative run by the Associação de Ajuda ao Recém-Nascido [Association for the Support of Newborn Babies]. At the Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital (MAC), where Baby Bank was set up and where it has been operating since 2012, the initiative forges relationships with families who need its support and works not only to provide primary care to babies while they are still in the maternity hospital but also afterwards, when they are at home, by organising and providing clothes, food and hygiene products.

In addition to the MAC, which represents around half of the supervised families, the Baby Bank has established new partnerships with the Santa Maria Hospital (Lisbon) and the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital (Loures). Its work in conjunction with other key institutions such as the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the Paroquial do Campo Grande Social Centre and Committees for the Protection of Children and Young People has also helped to ensure that the needs of families are appropriately met.

In the first three quarters of the year, 48 families were supervised at home. In parallel, three thematic workshops were held on the importance of massage for babies, play, and meeting peers. Help was provided to a total of 113 families.