Associação NHR Compassion Portugal is a Portuguese non-profit organization created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, offsetting the strain put on food bank services. According to Porta da Frente, since March 2020, more than 60,000 people have turned to the Banco Alimentar contra a Fome. The association allows Non-Habitual Residents (NHRs) to pull their resources together in order to assist those in need of help. 

By partnering with the Banco Alimentar food bank, the group aims to deliver this assistance in a quick and targeted manner as a way of paying the country back for the substantial incentives it gives NHRs to encourage them to live in Portugal, giving them an opportunity to offset the negative effects of the Covid-19 emergency through their contributions. 

Founding Co-Chairman of NHR Compassion and Sustainability Investing guru Michael Naylor says, “We are all in this together. We consider ourselves privileged as a family to be guests in [Portugal, as the country] gives much to the NHR community, and in this time of unprecedented crisis it is only right we give back, and give generously.”

Naylor along with Geoffrey Graham and António Beja came together in 2020 to create this organization, immediately gaining the support of key regional and country representatives who came on board as co-chairs, bridging the gap between recent guests of the country and long-time residents in order to work toward the greater good of the country as a whole.

Geoffrey Graham, senior partner at the Portuguese law firm EDGE International Lawyers, said of the project, “NHR Compassion Portugal…is an opportunity for NHRs to show how they are important contributors to, and stakeholders in, Portuguese society, particularly in this unique time of need.” Antonio Beja, who runs a single-family office with direct investments in Southern Europe, seconded that sentiment by saying, “Having lived the majority of my life as a guest of another country, I truly believe that in moments of adversity we must all act as one, irrespective of our origins. Today, we are all Portuguese!” No stranger to being a NHR himself, the Portuguese native Beja has lived in the USA, Romania, France, and Spain and brings a different perspective to the project in his role as a Founding Board member.

Apricot is proud to have helped this worthy cause create their online presence and manage the donations they receive through their site. As ex-pats ourselves, we owe a lot to our chosen home country and are proud to have been of service to this worthy cause. 

If you would like to donate to NHR Compassion Portugal, you can send your donation directly to the dedicated bank account which Banco Alimentar has set up for the Association, or use the online payment facility on their website.