Emaús Caminho e Vida Porto

Emaús Caminho e Vida Porto is a community based at Rua de Serpa Pinto 556, in central Porto. It belongs to Emmaus International, the movement Henri Grouès, known as Abbé Pierre, started in Paris in 1949 after taking in a man who had tried to take his own life. That first companion joined him in building homes for families living in cellars, and the model has barely changed since: companions live together, collect what others throw away, sort it, and sell it on. The Porto group has run second-hand shops for decades, including a long-standing space on Rua do Almada, nº 136. Its Facebook page describes the group plainly, as an association supporting companions from the street, founded in France by Abbé Pierre. Nearly 2,000 people follow the page. Past events recorded on the community's blog mix trade with awareness-raising. There have been summer sales on Rua do Almada, a Christmas fair at Porto's CACE Cultural held jointly with Emmaus International around the anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, and a World Water Day gathering on sustainable consumption. Each doubles as fundraising and as a way to bring the public face to face with the companions' work. Worldwide, some 310 Emmaus groups operate across 36 countries, by the movement's own account. They follow the same principle: earn a living from recovered waste, cover basic costs such as social security and holidays, and set aside funds to help others in need. Emaús Caminho e Vida Porto continues that practice today, pairing social support for people who have lived on the street with the everyday running of a charity shop.