In Portugal, the number of organizations that dedicate themselves exclusively to the realization of missionary projects and development aid is growing: there are now 41 of them, including religious congregations and Christian aid organizations. The number of young people who support these missionary volunteer services is also growing from year to year: 260 youth have applied to serve in mission lands abroad in 2007. The majority will offer their service for one or two months, during their summer holidays, but 47 of them have decided to commit themselves for one or two years. Girls form 73% of the total, a slight downturn on the 77% of last year. The countries where Portuguese is spoken naturally represent the normal destinations of Portuguese humanitarian interventions, in particular Mozambique and Angola, but some organizations have already activated cooperation agreements with other countries, such as Honduras and Morocco. An important aspect of the phenomenon is that 25% of the young volunteers show a tendency to repeat this type of experience, considering it positive and enriching from a personal and human point of view. The Foundation of Evangelization and Cultures (FEC) has functioned as a clearinghouse for missionary volunteer service since 2003. It also gathers data that help define the contours of this social trend that has been considerably reinforced over the last twenty years. A strong contribution was also made by the appeal launched by Pope John Paul II in 1998: “Portugal, I call you to mission”. No less than 1386 youth have responded to this appeal over the last five years by providing missionary volunteer service Ad Gentes .
