The Regional Secretary for Social Solidarity said today that the Government of the Azores "is on the side" of Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS) and of "those who in need," assuring that the Government "will neither reduce not cut the support to IPSS."

Speaking in Ponta Delgada in the context of the celebrations of the World White Cane Day, promoted by Azores Office of the Portuguese Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (ACAPO), Piedade Lalanda also stressed the cooperation agreements established between the Social Security and institutions are "partnerships" aimed to "support those who are most in need."

In this regard, the government official reminded that ACAPO has established a cooperation protocol with the Social Security, which aims to contribute to the creation of "more just and inclusive society that takes their needs into consideration."

Under the celebrations of the World White Cane Day, the Regional Secretary conveyed the Regional Government's availability to analyse any project whose ultimate goal is "to change the Azorean society," making "more inclusive and closer to the people."

For Piedade Lalanda, ACAPO "is quite an example of an association that provides a response to a group with a disability, which should never be viewed as a reason for social exclusion and isolation, but rather "a difference that should be increasingly a reason of recognition."

The government official also emphasised the importance of volunteering in the construction of "a more inclusive society" that is "aware of the needs of minorities as well as of the associations working with these groups."

"We wish that volunteering becomes a clear expression of citizenship, recognition and the fight against indifference," stressed Piedade Lalanda.

"Indifference is the worst social barrier there can be for the inclusion of people, especially of the blind," warned the Regional Secretary.