Fundação Ageas in collaboration with Cascais City Hall, has raised nearly 170 thousand euros for the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation, in a beneficiary dinner which gathered nearly 300 guests, last night, at Hotel Miragem, in Cascais.

With the honourable presence of the Nobel Peace Prize, who is in Portugal to receive the Doctor Honoris Causa by Nova SBE and participate in the Estoril Conferences, the Ageas Foundation in partnership with Cascais City Hall, organized the event to support the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation, whose focus in on helping women victim of sexual violence. 

A doctor and activist, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is specialized in gynaecology and obstetrics. In 1998, he founded the "Panzi Hospital", becoming a worldwide expert in healing internal physical damage. In 2014 he was awarded the Sakharov Price for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament; in 2015 he was the winner of the Calouste Gulbenkian Price and in 2018 he was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.

This cause also counted with the participation of João Reis, as a host, and Luisa Sobral and Horácio Ferreira, in 2 musical performances that delighted the attendance. The event also included the auctioning of 7 works of art by renowned artists such as Paula Rego (True Guardians); Christophe Demaitre (Vieuwer editor); João Narciso (A brutalidade de um não deixar voar); Maria João Bahia (The leaf); Guilherme Parente (Untitled); Leonor Saunders (Her); Diogo Navarro (Golden Heart).

The event included the attendance of several large companies from the Portuguese market, entrepreneurs and personalities.

Steven Braekeveldt, CEO of Grupo Ageas Portugal, who in 2016 accompanied in loco a Dr. Mukwege mission admits to be "an honour to support and help to promote great causes such as that of my friend Dr. Denis Mukwege. It is our duty to use our influence and ability to mobilize, to support those who need it the most. And this is a good example, which displayed the generosity of the Portuguese, of our society and of the business world, getting together for a strong cause, making a difference".

Miguel Pinto Luz, Vice-President of Cascais City Hall, whom strongly committed to this event, stresses that "the work developed by Denis Mukwege is extraordinary. He managed to establish a safe space for women victims of sexual violence in over 20 years of war. Hence the reason for the Nobel Peace Price and made us feel like his presence was bigger than the room. It was, indeed, touching".