In an environment as rich and diverse as that of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, it is hard not to find opportunities to connect our programs with the on-the-ground work of the various facilities that make up our Organization.

As promoters of initiatives that help develop solutions to today’s Environmental and Social Sustainability challenges, one of our goals is to foster fieldwork, on-the-ground experience, and an understanding of other realities.

Following the success of the visit to the Bairro dos Lóios Community Development Center during the latest edition of RISE for Impact, we knew we wanted to continue creating these opportunities. And although creating a Venn diagram that connects SCML’s social work with trepreneurs whose Projects focus on the Environment may seem less obvious, the truth is that the Impact is evident in everything.

And in the Aldeia de Santa Isabel, the Impact can be felt and seen clearly.

Originally intended to be just an orphanage, today ASI combines a Residential Facility for the Elderly with a Training Center for Youth.

It was at the Center that we found the purpose of our visit, and it was during our time with the young people there, as we recognized their desire to learn, build, and achieve self-fulfillment, that we confirmed that the entrepreneurial spirit lies within each of us. And since the theme of the day was “Communication,” that was the real challenge we presented to our Entrepreneurs: to present their ideas in a simple and clear way without extensive rehearsals or any audiovisual aids, so that, by adapting their speech, they could ensure anyone could perfectly understand the solutions they’ve been working on for months.

Visiting the various Training Workshops was the perfect opportunity to show our Entrepreneurs the work being done with the Students and the potential to implement their own Projects on the ground. And what are these projects? 

• > AiAction: Committed to early detection of disasters such as fires and floods through cameras and real-time image analysis.
• > Aurora Desperta: Pilot project for collaborative housing with intergenerational integration in community spaces.
• > BinBot: Autonomous robot with a circular design powered by solar energy for urban waste collection.
• > Empresta Aí: Collaborative Marketplace for renting and sharing everyday items, promoting the circular economy.
• > HydroAI: Intelligent platform for monitoring and forecasting water volumes in reservoirs using artificial intelligence and satellite data.
• > ai – Holistic Waste Management: Artificial Intelligence tool used to optimize urban and non-urban waste management, promoting the Circular Economy.
• > Mukuaskincare: Natural and sustainable cosmetics brand that reuses food waste and has a positive Social Impact.
• > Planta Smart Homes: Environmental Intelligence System for buildings with the aim of optimizing energy and comfort.

While Mukuaskincare found in the Hairdressing and Manicure/Pedicure Assistant Workshop the recognition that the beauty industry should also be a representative sector, in the IT Operator Workshop, Hydro AI and Empresta Aí shared the need for a strong digital infrastructure that facilitates processes and builds the essential trust between service providers and consumers. BinBot could never deliver a finished product without the contribution of professionals like those we met in the Light Vehicle Body Repair Workshop, and Plant Smart Homes can only exist if all electrical systems function properly, as the students in the Electrical Installation Technician Workshop know. L.AI – Holistic Waste Management fully understands the challenges faced by the Restaurant and Bar Employee Workshop regarding potential food waste, and AiAction found that the students of the Cleanroom Carpenter Workshop demonstrated awareness and responsibility in dealing daily with a raw material as flammable as wood. Aurora Desperta, as a project that aims to solve a challenge common to all, presented its solution to the representatives of each workshop, the Eco-Delegates, at the Intergenerational Resource Center (CRI), a place where seniors, youth, and children come together for activities that unite generations.

Our Program Manager, Ana Azeiteiro, understands all too well just how transformative this journey is for these young people and the Impact that fieldwork has on their development and growth. With that in mind, she immediately recognized the opportunity for growth and the immense value that this direct contact would bring to the personal and professional lives of our Entrepreneurs: “The visit to the Aldeia of Santa Isabel was a defining moment for Triggers. The genuine hospitality and professionalism with which we were received allowed our Entrepreneurs to test their solutions against reality and the audience they aim to Impact. This direct contact made the process clearer, more human, and better aligned with real needs, reinforcing Triggers’ mission to transform ideas into concrete, relevant solutions. It was also a valuable opportunity to refine how they communicate the Impact of their projects, making the messages clearer, more accessible, and closer to those who will truly benefit from them. This experience deepened our learning and strengthened the Impact we aim to create.”

For all this and so much more, our heartfelt thanks go out to the entire team at Aldeia de Santa Isabel, who immediately made themselves available to welcome us: Jorge Peralta, Director of ASI, Isabel Almeida, and Rita Nogueira, who accompanied us throughout the day and shared, right from the start, our immense enthusiasm for bringing about this joyful “clash” of two worlds that, at first glance, seem so different and distant, but which come together so organically through a shared energy and desire to always do better for the future.

Thank you also to the Communications Manager of our resident Startup, MyPolis, Nadine Alves, who was with us to lead a Masterclass on Marketing and Communication and, as always, taught us so much about how to create a Brand with Impact!

It’s always easy to get sentimental when we talk about these out-of-the-ordinary experiences, the ones that force us to see the world from other perspectives. That’s why, this time, we can confidently say that no one remained indifferent to what happened that day, and that we’re all a little more attentive to the world around us.

Because the Aldeia de Santa Isabel holds the whole world within it, and we are privileged to have lived there, even if only for a day.

In this edition of Triggers, we are joined by our Partners Galp, EDP, and Crédito Agrícola, with support from 3XP Global.

The 4th edition of Triggers is one of the initiatives that are part of the CONNECT Consortium.

The CONNECT – TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE INTO IMPACT is a Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (IIES) that is the result of the application submitted by a cohesive Consortium made up of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa as the Coordinating Entity and the Partner Entities Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade Católica Portuguesa (through the Yunus Social Innovation Center at Católica-Lisbon) to the Call for Applications No. LISBOA2030-2024-16 – Centers for Impact Entrepreneurship of the Lisbon 2030 Regional Program / Portugal Social Innovation Mission Structure (EMPIS). The CONNECT Consortium is funded by the European Union, and its Social Investors are Lisbon City Council, the Galp Foundation, and the Santander Foundation.