People Helping People
About us
OUR STORY
Founder Nazanin Bidabadi speaking at Tu és uma Joia's inauguration.
Meaning "you are a gem" in Portuguese, Tu és uma Jóia is founded on the belief that every person is precious and deserving of care. We take a people-centered approach, grounded in the idea that small acts of solidarity and kindness can have a powerful, positive impact on the well-being of others.
Tu és uma Jóia is a registered nonprofit private charity, established in 2019 in Porto, Portugal. It grew out of more than 10 years of volunteer work with vulnerable groups in the Porto community, providing emotional support and guidance. Today, Tu és uma Jóia works to expand access to support and care for working-age adults experiencing moments of crisis.
To date, we have offered emotional support and companionship to over 250 individuals—and counting. Looking ahead, we aim to grow further by creating a physical safe space for our community to better meet their needs.
The principles of emotional support
OUR VALUES
We understand that facing negative experiences, thoughts, and emotions can be stressful and overwhelming. Our inner voice can turn our capacity for introspection into a curse, leading us astray, spiraling and undermining all aspects of our lives.
With emotional support and care, there is hope.
According to experts, providing emotional support is sharing your care and concern for others. It can help a person cope with their emotions and experiences and show them that they are not alone. Furthermore, research has shown that receiving emotional support can make a substantial difference to a person's overall health and wellbeing.
At Tu és uma Jóia, how we support and behave towards those in need is informed by our values and industry best practices. These are based on the principles of effective emotional support, which we guarantee to uphold to ensure we treat our beneficiaries with the utmost respect. These include:
- Being respectful, treating individuals in need with dignity and consideration
- Being nonjudgmental, which means that we practice active listening, and do not judge other's thoughts, feelings, or perspectives
- Being compassionate, providing empathy, reassurance, and understanding
- Being confidential, all of our meetings are private
- Being person-centered, meaning that we focus on the wants and needs of the person seeking support