Help us build Vale das Borboletas: safe haven for diversity

We are Vale das Borboletas, translated from Portuguese as 'the valley of butterflies' — an emerging queer-led community in the beautiful southwest of Alentejo, Portugal. We’re building a safe, life-affirming place where people from all over the world can be fully themselves, flourish in their uniqueness, and contribute to something greater than themselves: a regenerative, intergenerational, and loving community.

Vale das Borboletas is the continuation of a long-held dream: to create a sanctuary rooted in diversity, care, and connection. It’s a response to the violence of invisibility, of judgment, of being told you’re too much or not enough. It’s also a powerful “yes” — to authenticity, creativity, and community life lived with dignity and pride.

Why We Need Your Support

We are in the pioneering phase. Our vision is real — the land has been found, the first community members are gathering, and the seed is already planted. But to truly bring this vision to life, we need financial support for the start-up phase:

• Renovating several old houses to create safe and welcoming homes

• Purchasing land that is currently rented to allow the community to grow

• Creating space for workshops, gardens, and cultural exchange

• Offering room to rainbow children, especially from Portugal, who long for belonging, purpose, and healing

Our estimated fundraising goal is between €500,000 and €800,000, depending on the scale of support and phase of development. Every contribution — big or small — is a direct investment in a safer and more beautiful world.

Who We Are

We are a diverse and international group of unique people, with community members from different backgrounds and generations. The project is founded by Wende and Ronny, two experienced queer elders who have each lived a life of resistance, creativity, and care. We refuse to go back into the closet — and yet, we also know how to work wisely and sensitively within the broader region we live in.

While Vale das Borboletas is proudly queer-led, our invitation is open to all who value diversity, community care, and a life beyond judgment. In a time when many feel isolated or unsafe simply for being who they are, we are planting a flag of love and resilience.

What We’re Creating

Vale das Borboletas will be:

• A sanctuary for unique people to live, work, heal, and grow

• A cultural space where art, gardening, and craft become tools of empowerment

• A training ground for young adults, especially from Portugal, who bloom differently from the norm

• A financially self-sustaining community, with future income from land-based projects, art, fashion, creating beauty, workshops, and more

This is more than a dream — it’s already taking root. With the right support, Vale das Borboletas can become a shining example of how community, queerness, and ecology can thrive side by side.

Why Now?

We live in a time of rising anti-queer sentiment and hatred towards anyone who is different in many parts of the world. In rural regions like ours, visibility can still be a risk. And yet we choose to stay visible — not only for ourselves, but for all those who are still searching for a place to feel safe, seen, and strong.

By supporting Vale das Borboletas, you are helping us do something truly radical: to offer sanctuary without compromise, to build resilience without hiding, and to love out loud — even when it’s hard. But we can’t do it alone.

How You Can Help

• Donate what you can — every euro matters

• Share this campaign with your network, especially those who care about queer safety, community, and justice

• Join us — whether as a visitor, supporter, or future resident

With your help, Vale das Borboletas will grow into a community where all people who bloom differently have a place to root, rise, and thrive.

Let’s build it together. For us. For now. For the future.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Wende, Ronny, and the Vale das Borboletas Community