SnowBall project symbolises another reinforcement of the commitment always assumed by PT in terms of social responsibility and is an important driver for the improvement of the quality of people’s life.

This project is the result of the partnership established by the PT Foundation with Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOMM), as part of the Wireless Reach TM initiative, in the context of which Estrela and Girassol projects were repositioned in April 2009. This new project will bring the General Health Directorate to the group of promoters. 

Óscar Vieira stressed that SnowBall  project is a reinforcement of PT’s commitment to social responsibility

The project kick-off took place yesterday at the Francisco Martins - Portuguese Oncology Institute, an event attended by Óscar Vieira, Deputy Director of the PT Foundation, Clara Cidade, Info-Exclusion and Special Needs Department, Ana Jorge, Health Minister, Fernando de Palacio, General Director of Qualcomm Iberia, Nuno Miranda, clinical director of the Oncology Institute, and Cristina Duarte, physiatrist.

Óscar Vieira stressed that one of the goals of Portugal Telecom is to assume itself as a reference in terms of sustainability, having the activity of the company at international level reflected such positioning, such as the case of its presence in East Timor. SnowBall project represents thus yet another “commitment to social responsibility”. It fits one of the priority areas of PT’s activity, combat against info-exclusion, together with others such as volunteer work, healthcare, among others.

Therefore, this Board Member disclosed that 23 healthcare units will be provided with equipment of support for social inclusion, so as to facilitate communication with patients.

23 healthcare units will be covered by the project	Ana Jorge said that this “is a growing snowball"

Óscar Vieira recollected that the PT Foundation is the only Portuguese foundation in association with a telecommunications operator, which has a charity statute, having received national and international recognition, namely through its presence in the FTSE4Good 2008 index.

He also disclosed that Girassol project received the ‘good practice label’ in the scope of the Access-it 2009 Award.

Fernando de Palácio, after thanking the PT Foundation, highlighted a sharing of the same vision that “technologies have the power of changing people’s lives”.

Ana Jorge stressed the decisive role of the PT Foundation in terms of social responsibility, highlighting the importance of the volunteer work programs of the company, an action that has enabled the development of fundamental projects in this area.

The minister believes that this specific project “is a growing snowball (…) a very compensating process   that will facilitate the family and social integration” of people with special needs.

Development for inclusion
Patients interned in healthcare units will be the target of this project. The needs of technological equipment in each one of the 23 healthcare units will be identified by the health services. Technical evaluation of patients will be done in articulation with the circa 80 Centres for Digital Inclusion installed by the PT Foundation throughout the country at schools, universities, private social solidarity institutions and local charities.

This company informs that “at the 3G Centres for Augmentative Communication, there will be laptop PCs with special applications for augmentative communication for patients with motor or speech impairments who will thus gain Internet access as well as access to sending and receiving text messages”. It is also mentioned that “for many citizens, these laptops will be their sole means of communication. After leaving the healthcare units, these citizens will benefit from the National Health Service, from the conditions imposed by private social solidarity institutions or from the programs subsidised by the PT Foundation”.