On 13 April evening, SOS family joined together in one of the restaurants of Praia to pay a tribute to 'Aunt' Valita for her 27 years of commitment as a Kindergarten Coordinator in SOS Children’s Village Assomada. A supper was served and Aunt Valita was awarded with a certificate as a gesture of recognition for her 27 years marked by zeal and dedication.
The ceremonial act was also attended by Valita's daughters and it was very heart-warming as 'Aunt' Valita -name given to her by the children since the early days when she started working at SOS Children's Village Assomada - is so close to the children and many adults who attended the ceremonial were 'Valita’s children' too in a way.
In her speech Aunt Valita said she was honoured by the tribute, thanking those presents and at the same time she remembered the time spent in SOS Children's Village Assomada: "working with children is not an easy task because it requires sacrifice, but with strength of will we can do it. Not everything was pink, but today walking across the streets of the town of Assomada I often meet young people working in different areas telling me ‘I was your pupil in the kindergarten’. It is very gratifying declared Aunt Valita."
Among the moving testimonies given that night was the one of Maria Conceição Pina, a kindergarten educator from SOS Children’s Village Assomada who worked 24 years with Aunt Valita. She considered being blessed to have collaborated with her since she started working for SOS Children's Village Assomada, when she was just 18.
The National Director, Mr Dionísio Pereira, said in his brief speech that Aunt Valita is a very kind person who embraced from the beginning her task with sense of belonging and courage.
Yet another day gone, added to the many others special days celebrated by the big 'family' of SOS Children's Villages Cape Verde in recognition of the invaluable support and commitment of its co-workers toward the welfare of children.
