CooLabora is a social intervention cooperative based in Covilhã, Portugal, active for 18 years in promoting gender equality, combating domestic violence, and building social justice, solidarity economy and ecological awareness in the Cova da Beira region.
CooLabora, CRL is a cooperative for social intervention founded in 2008 and headquartered in Covilhã, in the Cova da Beira region of Portugal, covering the municipalities of Belmonte, Covilhã and Fundão. For 18 years, the organisation has developed feminist, collaborative and territorially rooted work focused on equality, human rights and social justice. Its main areas of intervention include supporting victims of domestic and gender-based violence, building effective inter-institutional networks, training professionals, and running community awareness campaigns.
CooLabora also runs projects supporting children, youth and vulnerable populations, such as the 'Quero Ser Mais E9G' initiative, which combines civic education, media literacy ('Detectives da Verdade'), fashion and sports activities to boost self-esteem and critical thinking among young people. The 'Rede Troca a Tod@s' project strengthens solidarity economy, sustainability and community bonds in the region.
Beyond social work, CooLabora embraces ecological themes, hosting art exhibitions such as 'Plantar +10¹⁰: Para uma ecologia profunda da arte de viver' and 'Só a Arte nos (pode) salva(r)', which explore deep ecology and the aftermath of wildfires. The cooperative also participates in academic and activist networks, such as the ProActCop seminar on professional activism, in partnership with research centres and international scholars.
CooLabora offers a Tool Bench (Bancada de Ferramentas), an economical and ecological tool-sharing solution for workshop participants, and maintains a Gabinete de Apoio for victims of domestic violence. The organisation relies on community support, including tax-designation contributions via the Portuguese IRS Modelo 8 scheme, to sustain its free psychological support, social skills training and social inclusion programmes for children and adolescents in vulnerable situations.
Our Goal
CooLabora works to promote human development, equality, and social justice in the Cova da Beira region (Belmonte, Covilhã and Fundão), with a strong focus on combating gender-based and domestic violence, fostering solidarity economy, and building democratic, feminist and ecologically conscious communities.
Our Wishes
CooLabora seeks community support through tax designation (IRS Modelo 8) and participation in its workshops, campaigns and exhibitions to sustain its social intervention programmes for children, youth and vulnerable people.
