My name is Alvaro Marçal, I’m 66 years old, from Portugal and I carry a longing in my heart that has lived with me for nearly four decades.

From 1985 to 1988, I lived in Cape Town, South Africa — a place that became much more than just a home. It was there that I built some of the most meaningful friendships of my life. Those years were filled with laughter, shared meals, long conversations, and moments that helped shape the person I am today. But when I left in 1988, I didn’t know it would be the last time I’d see those dear friends.

Life went on — as it always does — with work, family, responsibilities… and time passed faster than I ever imagined. I never managed to return. Now, at 66, I feel a familiar pull in my heart, calling me back — not just to a place, but to the people and memories that still live so vividly within me.

This trip is not a holiday. It’s a homecoming. A chance to see the faces that marked my life, to say words left unsaid, to hold a hand I haven’t held in 37 years, to laugh (and probably cry) with those who once meant — and still mean — so much to me.

There’s also one more dream I’ve carried since those days: to visit Robben Island.

While I was living in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was still imprisoned there — the great symbol of resistance and the fight against apartheid. At the time, his name was spoken with both reverence and hope. Today, to stand on that island and honour that history — which I witnessed from a distance, perhaps not fully understanding its magnitude — would be deeply emotional. It would be a way of closing a circle, not only personally, but also historically and humanly.

I’m asking for your help to make this journey possible — something I cannot afford on my own.

The funds will go toward:

✈️ Round-trip airfare

🏨 Modest accommodation

🚖 Local transportation

📄 Travel documents and insurance

🗺️ A visit to Robben Island

Any contribution, no matter how small, brings me closer to this long-held dream. And if you’re unable to give financially, sharing this campaign would mean the world to me.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading my story — and for believing in the power of reconnection, remembrance, love… and second chances.

With deep gratitude,

Alvaro Marçal