Institution

APOFEN

Social Solidarity, Others

Institution's Mission

Apofen is a private institution of social solidarity, of public utility, with headquarters at Praça Pedro Nunes, 88, Porto and also with facilities at Avenida Rodrigues Vieira Nº 80, Araújo (Former EB1 do Araújo and 250 m from the Araújo Metro station and even closer to the STCP 602 stop), Araújo, Leça do Balio, Matosinhos.<br<brWhen APOFEN was created in 1993 and its mission was to provide support to families who live closely with these pathologies, showing that there were more cases and that families were not alone. Nowadays, with adult patients, its mission is to support all patients and families in the most varied aspects. Its action covers the entire national territory (mainland and islands).<br<brApofen aims to contribute to an improvement in the quality of life of patients with Phenylketonuria or other diseases of protein metabolism; achieving an effective, economical and accessible diet; support children and young people with pathology; to stimulate conviviality both among patients and among family members; to promote and disseminate new scientific knowledge and experiences in these areas and to support all kinds of situations that may arise related to diseases.<br<brTo achieve its objectives, it develops the following actions:<brPromotes the dissemination at national level of all information regarding hereditary protein metabolism diseases (MPHD) and modern methods of disease treatment;<brEstablishes exchanges with Similar International Organizations;<brIt provides services to DHMP patients and directly related family members, promoting the defense and exercise of their rights, contributing to the improvement of quality of life;<brIt promotes the social integration of DHMP children and young people with a view to school and professional success, adapting support measures compatible with the pathology.