The Government of the Azores has allocated a financial support to 13 Azorean diaspora associations in the United States, Canada and Mainland Portugal in a global amount over 92,000 Euros.

In the ordinances published in the Official Journal on Wednesday, the Regional Secretary of the Presidency justifies the allocation of these funds given the need “to implement the support and cooperation with socio-cultural institutions that promote and disseminate the Autonomous Region of the Azores among the respective emigrant communities.”

André Bradford also reminded the interest of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in “preservation of identity and dissemination of its cultural values in order to promote the knowledge of communities and strengthen the ties between them and their homeland.”

UMASS Boston – Hispanic Studies Portuguese Programme (12,500 Euros), Immigrants Assistance Centre, Inc. (10,000 Euros), Abrigo Centre in Toronto (10,000 Euros), Portuguese Support Services for Quality Living (6000 Euros), Ser-Jobs For Progress, Inc. (5000 Euros), MAPS- Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (4000 Euros), VALLER – Valey Areas Living Resources (4000 Euros), Centre d’Action socio-communautaire de Montréal (4000 Euros), Catholic Social Services (4000 Euros), Commission of the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England (3614 Euros) and Mission Sainte-Croix (3000 Euros) were the associations supported by the Government in the United States and Canada.

In addition, the Houses of the Azores of the North (11,000 Euros) and Algarve (10,000 Euros) in Mainland Portugal were also comprised by these support measures.