We are still in the Central African Republic with the project, started on January 1, 2021, Health and hygiene for the communities of Bossemptélé, funded by the FONDATION ASSISTANCE INTERNATIONALE (FAI). Specifically, we are in the province of Ouham-Pendé: here the living conditions of local populations are precarious, primary services are lacking and the province is one of the poorest on the planet. The civil war and the social and political unrest that has persisted for years in the country undermine the possibility of creating the necessary infrastructure and a significant improvement in the quality of life.

Salute e Sviluppo and the Camillian Delegation in Central Africa have long been committed to carrying out projects aimed at creating the basis for a development that can be meaningful and lasting. Especially John Paul II Hospital is a great achievement: it has been working with local communities for years and is one of the few health centres able to offer the necessary treatment to the entire population of the region, which is afflicted by a range of diseases caused by poverty, lack of water, but also by poor hygiene education.

Primary objective of the project Health and hygiene for the communities of Bossemptélé is provide medical supplies, medicines and medical personnel to ensure ever higher standards at the John Paul II Hospital and build the necessary infrastructure for hospital work: wells and photovoltaic system are fundamental to power the implementation of all health activities.

The secondary objective is just as important as the primary objective, because the absence of education is the cause of easily avoidable diseases. To address this issue, the project includes a series of weekly meetings with hospital health workers on specific topics such as nutrition, vitamins, tobacco, alcohol, personal hygiene, vaccinations, malaria prevention, environmental hygiene, etc. Not only within the hospital facilities, but through a mobile clinic team, awareness campaigns are also carried out in the rural areas surrounding Bossemptélé.

Patients, neighboring communities and young people are the main beneficiaries: about 6,000 patients of the Hospital will have access to high-level medical care; about 3,500 people belonging tothe local communities will be more aware and prepared in health and hygiene and 20 children/ and each year will receive professional education in health.

The Camillian delegation in the Central African Republic will continue to manage the hospital by providing health services for the local population and by activating involvement and operational collaboration with local public dispensaries. TheMinistry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, Association pour les Œuvres Médicales des Eglises en Centrafrique – ASSOMESCA and the Order of the Carmelite Sisters of Bossemptélé are all local actors involved in the implementation of the project.

Duration of the project is 30 months, but aims to create sustainable and lasting structures that represent a reference point for local communities and can effectively improve health conditions in the Ouham-Pendé region.

We will keep you updated on all developments!

We would like to thank FONDATION ASSISTANCE INTERNATIONALE (FAI)for its contribution.

“Health” is the priority field of intervention of SeS. The right to health protection and access to health care are fundamental human rights; yet the relationship between poverty, marginalisation and access to services in developing countries often remains misunderstood or neglected in health policies and development interventions.

Over the years, in accordance with the Global Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we have built and strengthened health facilities for vulnerable populations; expanded the the catchment area of services at territorial level; provided adequate medical instruments and equipment, improving the services offered at quantitative level; trained local health personnel, increasing the level of skills and the quality of the services provided.

After having implemented a large number of initiatives in cooperation partner countries and having contributed significantly to their growth, Salute e Sviluppo establish the AMOC Mission Found– Camillians Charity Health Insurance (approved by the Board of Directors on 26.11.2021), as an additional tool to help people and communities in developing countries, in conditions of severe socio-economic vulnerability, to access health services.

The purpose of the fund is to protect health and extend basic health cover as far as possible, seeking to reduce social inequalities, with a focus on child health. In particular, the Fund has two objectives:

Overall Objective: to contribute to the improvement of the social and health conditions of the populations of developing countries, where Salute e Sviluppo operates through the implementation of international cooperation initiatives.

Specific Objective: to guarantee free access to health services and treatment to children in developing countries (0-14 years old).

The Fund operates through the provision of a reimbursement (in part or total) of healthcare costs paid by existing healthcare facilities in the countries of cooperation – belonging to and/or managed by the Camillians – for paediatric patients (0-14 years old) who will benefit from the services totally free of charge.

The AMOC Mission Fund, established by SeS, can be financed by all stakeholders – whether individuals or companies – who recognise in it a social responsibility to fight poverty and to greater protection of human rights.

Non-anonymous donors will be eligible for tax relief in accordance with the law.

There are many ways to support our activities: your donation is the easiest way to maximise the impact of our projects!

DONATE NOW FOR NEEDY CHILDREN

Salute e Sviluppo ONG – Al fianco dei Camilliani nel mondo
Piazza della Maddalena, 53 – 00186 Roma
Tel. 0689982151/52/53/54
email: info@salutesviluppo.org

Iban: IT50E0200805181000102710665 (banca Unicredit)

Reason: donazione Fondo Missioni AMOC – Opere Camilliane

The impact of the recurring drought in Wajir County, where SeS works with local communities, has affected the most vulnerable population causing food insecurity and malnutrition. In recent years, Wajir County has experienced low rainfall with an increase of the dry season. The consequences have had a serious impact on people’s livelihoods: agriculture and animal husbandry, the two main sources of income for rural communities.

Between 18 and 23 October, our partner – the Camillian Task Force in Kenya (Cadis International) – conducted an assessment to evaluate the impact of the current drought on the community. Gaps were identified in four different areas: food, livelihoods, water and sanitation, and health.

Help us to support interventions in Wajir County! This initiative includes:

Due to the passage of a mini cyclone over the central-eastern coast of the Arabian Sea, torrential rains and floods hit several districts (Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur and Ernakulam) of Indian Kerala, destroying houses and causing several victims.

Our local partners, the Camillians of Sneha Charitable Trust, in collaboration with the Camillian Task Force (Cadis International) have organized a relief mission (Flood Relief Mission) in favor of the affected population, distributing basic necessities and helping in the reconstruction of homes destroyed.

Support our mission and donate to help families in need affected by the emergency!

Salute e Sviluppo

IBAN IT62G0200805181000400321240 (Unicredit)

or

IBAN IT17 X076 0103 2000 0002 6485 086 (BancoPosta)

reason: Flood Relief Mission Kerala

I would like to invite you to go on a beautiful virtual journey around the world with me to celebrate together the 25 years of Salute e Sviluppo. Don’t worry about the cost, I pay for everyone, as it is a virtual journey. We can visit many countries, even if I can’t remember them all since the list is long. Please fasten your seat belts and let’s start immediately from Turin, where Salute e Sviluppo was born 25 years ago, from the imagination of Fr. Efisio Locci, on September 09, 1996. It started from the idea “to go out into the world and heal the sick.” It began to take the first steps of his existence, an essential steps because it also includes the hospital in Haiti. Upon the invitation of the General of the Order of the Camillians P. Frank Monks (on 03 December 2001)we move to Rome to give the organization an international dimension, proper to the Order. In Rome, everything is great! Here, the enormous preparation for its recognition to operate, such as the acquisition of its legal personality (July 08, 2002) and the recognition as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), under the decree of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which enables it to promote and implement international projects in collaboration with the Ministry (March 26, 2003). Upon completion of the bureaucratic procedures, we started working by engaging all our skills and knowledge.

Salute e Sviluppo was born to be closer to missionaries, who are the most significant development factor in the history of poor countries. Our core areas of intervention are people’s health and human development with particular attention for health and hygiene, nutrition and schooling, agriculture and livestock, without precluding the field of development, rights and peace. Our motto is “let’s take care of health and we will increase human development”. The geography of our activities consists of the five continents.

Hospital of Djougou – Benin

The first part of our intercontinental trip visits the projects carried out in the first 10 years and includes 33 projects in Africa: 1 hospital in Benin (in Djougou); 5 projects in Burkina Faso(development for women, enhancement of traditional medicine, Zootechnical development, agro-food development, industrial development for the polishing and packaging of rice); 19 projects in Kenya (training and prevention for Migori students, support for Nairobi slum children, breeding for Nkubu hospital, drinking water for Nkubu hospital, agricultural development for Nairobi slum women, assistance for terminally ill patients with AIDS, training for women in the slum of Nairobi, fight against HIV, mill for the widows of Tabaka, a hope for the sick of Nkubu, solar energy for Nkubu, livestock development for the women of Karungu, fight against malnutrition in Wajir, fruits and vegetables garden development for the women of Karungu, a greenhouse for women in the slums of Nairobi, fight against poverty in the South Imenti district, food support for the schools in Nyanza, access to sanitation for Gunga); we can also visit 1 project in Madagascar (schooling for leper children); 5 projects in the Central African Republic (primary school in Bossemptélé, hospital start-up, mother-child centre, children’s health service, mother-child clinic); 1 maternal and child hospital in Somalia; 1 well for the hospital and the neighbourhood in Lomé – Togo.

Maternity and gynaecology, surgery, operating theatre, delivery rooms and offices at Karungu Hospital – Kenya

I hope you are enjoying this trip because we are now going to visit South America and Asia. The first stop is Brazil visiting 4 projects (training and reintegration of women, social reintegration of single mothers, tejiendo la vida, training and reintegration of women in Quixadà); let’s jump to see 1 project in Colombia (hydroponic cultivation with the elderly people); and a trip to Peru for 1 project (assistance to people with AIDS).

We will now leave Latin America and we will move to Asia for 11 projects. We begin with the visit to Myanmar with 2 projects (rescue to the victims of cyclone Nargis and professional training for girls); a visit to the Philippines with 2 projects (strengthening of the San Camillo Center and aid to the Aetas tribal community); and a long journey to the immense China with 1 project (Scholarships for the villages of Liaoning). Many emotions are coming back on the waves of my memories, thinking of the moment I met the catholic people coming from the cities around the imperial city in the far North of China! The universality of Christianity is a reality that you experience as the breath of humanity, with intense and unforgettable emotion.

As you can understand, our work constantly always adapts to the situations, habits and customs of peoples and their political sensitivity. We are interested in helping people keeping into consideration their backgrounds and fragilities. All other aspects are not our concern. We always wish that we can do more. Unfortunately, there are so many problems and difficult situation in this world and we hope we could help them all, but in the reality, we do what we can, proudly, and we always try to do our best, and that is what matter the most.

If you are not tired, let’s go through the second part of the journey to visit the other 36 projectscarried out in the next 10 years of intense commitment. We especially focused to African countries. Each country has its own characteristics, its beauties, its riches and its infinite poverty. The only recommendation is: never give up. Cooperation is made up of small and large things, but all of them are precious. Any help we can give is a great treasure for the needy who receive them; it is a small effort for us but a tremendous gift for him. Fatigue will soon disappear, the good done will remain and the Good Lord will make it eternal.

Rice field in Bagré – Burkina Faso

First stop is inBurkina Faso with 11 completed projects and 2 on the way, a poor country eager for progress. In this country, there are also fearful episodes of terrorism in the North and also not far from our work area. Our effort is to implement food production facilities, increase schooling and build a hospital.

We have built a farm of over 60 hectares to cultivate rice, corn and other cereals; built canals for water irrigation, with submersible pumps in the large public canal, operated by photovoltaic panels. The pumps carry the water into our distribution channels. The farm is well equipped with a well for drinking water, facilities for staff, warehouses, workshop and a covered parking spaces for one truck, 3 tractors, 2 milling machines, one combine harvester, 2 bulldozers, one bulldozer, plows, grader, fertilizer and other equipment.

There is a barn for 60/100 milking cows, with fodder equipped with a milking parlor, a cooling and milk storage room, and facilities for staff and the veterinarian. Also here the electricity is generated with a photovoltaic system, generator and public lighting line. We have created 3 large warehouses for cereals, fruits, and vegetables, food processing, and packaging in the industrial center. The milking center is equipped to analyze milk and dairy products: here too, the electricity is supplied by the public network, by a generator, and by photovoltaic systems. The farms are in Bagré, province of Tenkodogo, which national planning has chosen as a pole of national agro-food production for the whole country. Also in Bagré, there is the drinking water processing plant that is entrusted to women.

A school in Tenkodogo – Burkina Faso

Other projects to visit in Bagré, Tenkodogo and Garango are: 2 nursery schools, 2 primary schools, 2 secondary schools: first four years and second three years, an arts and crafts centres with 6 sections for 6 trades. For schools we need to keep in consideration that each classroom of the nursery and primary classes accommodates about 80/90 children, the secondary schools welcome 50 children per class; the arts and crafts classes welcome 50 young people. All the schools are in the diocese of Tenkodogo and are projects carried out in collaboration with the Bishop Prosper Kontiebo. Once built and furnished, the local partner handles the school buildings.

Let’s visit in Kenya (4 projects) the great aqueduct for the 15,000 inhabitants of Karungu. Water is taken from Lake Victoria, pushed into the hills with large pumps, purified and filtered in three huge reinforced concrete tanks and sent to the Karungu area, spread for more than 5 km, along which are the kiosks for the water distribution. This project allows all the site inhabitants to access drinking water, while previously, they drew directly from the polluted lake. Other projects are: maternal and child health in the Imenti South district; fight against cancer for the female population of Karungu; food self-sufficiency for the women of Wajir in partnership with the Camillian nuns, in a semi-deserted area on the border with Somalia, in the former Annalena Tonelli center martyred by the Somalis. Insecurity also prevails in this area.

There are also: a small project in Pakistan for the Christian minority and one in Togo against sickle cell anaemia and one in Vietnam for access to drinking water and against cancer for children and the population, because the water of Mekong’s groundwater is polluted by the excessive use of pesticides for rice production.

Health workers in Bossemptélé – Central African Republic

We take off again and go to the Central Africa Republic, today the poorest country in the world; it was once called the Switzerland of Africa. A beautiful country, full of forests, a population of peaceful nature. Since it gained independence (it was a French colony) it has always been governed by generals, even though it was a republic by name. Today there is an elected president, but there are Russian soldiers from the Wagner group who preside over the country and the government. The successive coups d’etat have impoverished the country, made it insecure, plundered enormous riches of the subsoil. In the revolution and civil war of recent years there have been, out of a population of 10 million, two and a half million refugees in neighboring countries, 50% of school and health buildings as well as private homes have been destroyed. The roads are bad; the population has nothing to eat except cassava. Security does not exist. General services do not exist. It is difficult to understand how the population survives. Our trips are also unsafe; it is our risk and danger. For the Italian government the country is absolutely insecure.

Bossemptélé Hospital – CAR

In this context we have carried out over 15 projects,a hospital with 120 beds: surgical hospitalization, renovation, and furnishing of the operating rooms; construction of the medical department; refurbishment and furnishing of ophthalmology and dentistry clinics; construction and furnishing of the neonatal ward; construction of the pediatric department; building of the maternity department and delivery block with operating room for caesareans; construction of the administration department; construction of the department for guests and volunteers; construction of the first aid, administrative reception equipment; financing of hospital health services; an increase of health services in three villages with the mobile clinic once or twice a week. Other aids are the photovoltaic system and the new generator for the whole hospital (we are 200 km from public electricity) and various containers with hospital equipment, furnishings, machinery, the purchase of ambulances, machines, a tractor, a pickup truck. There are also all the projects carried out for the population: food emergency; we feed children; school food; safe motherhood; economic and nutritional empowermentfor women; health and hygiene training for the population; construction of three wells for drinking water; State Diploma Nursing School under construction, which is the third largest nursing school in the country.

The support activities for the Camillian missionary community of Bossemptélé in CAR began with the courageous opening of the new mission of the Benin province. The mission included the small hospital of the Carmelite Sisters but it never opened due to the death of their sister-doctor in a road accident. Today’s mission comprises the John Paul II Hospital and the only parish in the town and the surrounding villages. The characteristic of the mission is the great poverty, the isolation, the insecurity, the commendable courage of the Carmelite nuns and of the Camillian religious. Bossemptélé is the Vice prefecture, it is a settlement 200 km away from electricity; there is no drinking water, electricity or gas. It has an elementary school and a primary school but that is not sufficient for the number of children. For that reason, the Sisters have made a kindergarten, a primary school and the first three years of secondary school. The war has endangered the lives of our confreres, who were heroic in staying in to care for the sick. During the war, the spaces of the hospital, the spaces of the nuns’ schools gave shelter to two thousand Muslim people. The two communities of Carmelite Sisters and Camillian Religious worked heroically without stopping. The p. Bernard Kinvi Anani, director of the hospital, received the Alison De Forges Award from Human Rights Watch in 2014 for courage in protecting dignity and human rights. This award is also a recognition for the Communities of Camillians and Carmelite Sisters who have assisted all the needy with the risk of their lives, bringing 1,500 Muslims to safety across the border of Cameroon. The Carmelite nuns and Camillian religious were the heroes of the Christian, witness of Christ’s love for man, in the poor and isolated town of Bossemptélé in Central Africa. I want to thank in person all the people that in the last 25 years have cooperated with us in order to help the people in need of the world. In 25 years we have helped the sick, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, educate the children. We have increased justice and peace in the world.

F. Efisio Locci

If you want to support our activities and us you can donate to:

Salute e sviluppo

IBAN IT62G0200805181000400321240 (Unicredit)

or

IBAN IT17 X076 0103 2000 0002 6485 086 (BancoPosta)

When we talk about the the Camillian missions we refer to a secular history in the field of humanitarian help. The religious of the Order in its first century of life, the seventeenth century, were mainly involved in Italy where there were multiple dramatic situations with the repeated epidemics and plagues in which the Camillians often gave testimony of heroic charity. One of these was the famous plague in Milan in 1630, also mentionned in one of the famous of Manzoni’s book, where more than 25 religious “martyrs of charity” died. Also abroad the Camillians were called to bring aid to the wounded in the numerous and bloody wars that raged throughout the ‘Europe (campaign of Hungary in 1595, in the Thirty Years’ War in 1627, in Spain and Portugal). It is not without reason that the Camillian crucifers have been recognized as the precursors of the International Red Cross.

A more stable form of interventions in other countries began in 1710 with the first foundations in Latin America and in Lima in Peru which were followed by centers in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Mexico. Starting from the end of the eighteenth century, in a few decades, the Camillian Order seemed to come to extinction, and that was caused from two bigger historical facts: the autonomist laws of Joseph II and the radical Napoleonic suppressions. After the Napoleonic storm, the Order slowly recovered and the departures for the new missions began again. In 1867 the first Camillians, led by Father Stanislao Carcereri, left for Sudan alongside their father, which today a saint, Daniel Comboni. Unfortunately, that first expedition was short-lived and it was necessary to wait almost a century to see new missionary expeditions in Africa and other continents. Today, the Camillian missionaries are present in numerous countries on all five continents (Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Georgia, Armenia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, North America , Burkina Faso, Benin, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Haiti, India, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan).

In this long historical context of missions was born, in 1996,Salute e Sviluppo (SeS) under the presidency of Father Efisio Locci. Born at the behest of the Superior General Frank Monks and Consulta of the Order in implementation of a decision of the General Chapter, it is constituted as a Non-Governmental Organization to support the activities of Camillian religious who operate as its local partners in developing countries. The goal is to improve the health conditions of those populations and contribute to their growth and autonomy. Since then, Salute e Sviluppo has been one of the pillars of the Camillian missions.

SeS cooperation projects mainly intervene in the socio-health and human development sectors, building hospitals, schools and aqueducts and implementing food and livestock production. All interventions aims to help the local population to achieve their own sustainability and are characterized by a highly formative approach.

The projects already implemented and concluded with the contribution of Salute e Sviluppo are now over a hundred, from the smallest worth a few thousand euros to the largest that exceed one million euros in value. God’s Providence, through the most diverse public and private donors, was truly great and we will never stop thanking.

We want to recall some of the projects currently under construction. They focus is at the moment on emergency situations in West Africa, Central Africa and Asia.

In the Central African Republic, the initiatives are aiming to improve the social and health conditions of the Bossemptélé area, Diocese of Bouar. Anexample is the project titled “Strengthening Health Services at John Paul II Hospital” , managed by the Camillian Religious of Bossemptélé. The project aims to improve access to health services for vulnerable population and increase the capacity to reach neighboring villages with a mobile clinic and home care services. The hospital has been enforced with the supply of medicines, medical instruments, biomedical equipment and the provision of more services. The health personnel, on the other hand, has been trained in the orthopedic, pediatric, pharmaceutical and analysis laboratory fields. Thanks to this intervention, 4300 people, including 1250 children, can now take advantage of hospital services and medical examinations.

In West Africa, in Burkina Faso,two innovative projects have been launched to improve the socio-economic development of the Tenkodogo area. Tenkodogò is part of the province of Boulgou, where the poverty threshold records an index equal to 55.1% and it has severe limits on access to basic health services, education, drinking water, and the ability to generate income. Here we have put two projects in place: “L’Oro di Bagrè” has been created to increase the cultivation, production and marketing of rice and “Latte Sano” . With these initiatives, rice production and productivity techniques have been improved, facilitating access for the population of this area and meeting their food needs. Traditional agriculture has been transformed into modern agriculture, providing innovative agricultural tools and adequate technical-professional training.

After having built many health facilities in developing countries and having contributed significantly to their growth, now, more than in previous years, Salute e Sviluppo is being asked by our missionaries to help the poorest patients who are unable to pay their services in full I refer in particular to hospitals in the poorest countries in the world, such as those in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast without forgetting those in Kenya, Armenia, Georgia, etc …

With the purpose to respond to this call, Salute e Sviluppo intends to set up the AMOC Camillian Missions Funddedicated to this purpose. The acronym AMOCstands forInsurance for Sick People in the Camillian Missionsas the fund will be disbursed as a reimbursement of health costs for the sick people in need who will rely on care in Camillian health facilities and enroll in the AMOC. We ask all readers of Missione e Salute to contribute to fueling this fund, the use of which will be made public on the website of Salute e Sviluppo. The offers received will be eligible for the tax deductions authorized by law.

We trust that, through this new initiative, God’s Providence will continue to help us. (P. Felice de Miranda)

HELP US TO HELP

Salute e Sviluppo NGO

Alongside Camillians in the world

Piazza della Maddalena, 53 – 00186 Roma

Tel. 0689982151/52/53/54

email: info@salutesviluppo.org

IBAN IT 62G02 00805 18100 04003 21240 (Unicredit)

or

IBAN IT17 X076 0103 2000 0002 6485 086 (BancoPosta)

Reason: donation to the AMOC Camillian Missions Fund