The project ‘Installation of solar panels at the Institut Supérieur Privé de Santé Saint Camille de Lellis’ in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, has just ended. This mission has seen us engaged over the past six months in the purchase and installation of some solar panels and an energy collection and pumping system.

The St. Camillus Institute of Higher Education in Ouagadougou is one of the best educational centres in the country, where students – from as many as 12 African nations – have the opportunity to undertake highly specialised nursing studies.

The situation in Burkina Faso continues to be critical in many respects: from health to education, many young people are driven by the desire to emigrate in order to find more remunerative occupations, in the hope of improving their living conditions. It has worsened further in recent years, since the country has been locked in the grip of terrorism, which in increasingly frequent waves has affected vast areas of the nation, causing destruction and death.

Precisely in light of this difficult context, it is of primary importance to invest in improving health and education facilities, while helping – at the same time – young people to profitably integrate into the social fabric through stable and remunerative employment. By offering highly specialised nursing courses, the institute is at the forefront of this mission: thanks to its courses of study, it gives young people the opportunity to specialise in a discipline that is indispensable for the country, while at the same time giving them the chance to obtain a job with which to make a decent living.

Enrolments at the school are constantly increasing and we at Salute e Sviluppo are very happy to be able to collaborate with it, helping it to grow more and more. The solar panels are exactly part of this constant improvement work that the centre wants to carry out, in fact thanks to them, the institute will be able to become energy self-sufficient and represent a cutting-edge centre not only in the health sector, but also in the field of energy sustainability.

We would like to thank the generous donation that enabled us to inaugurate and complete this beautiful project!

A special story. The one that Sonia Storelli, Specialist in Paediatrics and Neonatology at the Consolata Hospital Nkubu (Kenya), tells us about the emotions she felt #on-her-skin in Kenya.

It has already been a few months since I returned, and yet sounds, scents and emotions are still a reality in my heart. I get off the Jeep and I close my eyes, I breathe … I breathe deeply and I feel the air full of moisture, the smell of the earth; I open my eyes and I find the African sky and the green of the plants of an intense that does not seem true. The Consolata Hospital of Nkubu has been my home for a fortnight… it is not my first experience in Africa and I have learnt that there is not only one Africa but many realities so different and so similar… Yet the hospital is all a swarming of projects of growth and change in which everyone has his well defined role… looking at it from outside it seems almost motionless but the patients are many and work very hard…

Two weeks is a short time, but hours pass very quickly when you put devotion and commitment into your work, when you realise that a part of you is healing with every medication or look you get, because what you receive is always greater, in terms of satisfaction and serenity, than what you give. I worked with the paediatric staff and from the first moment I felt integrated, in a continuous exchange of information and training… I had a lot to learn and I tried to pass on what my experience as a paediatrician had taught me! The day alternated between visits to the neonatology and paediatrics departments, the outpatients’ clinic, and training sessions involving medical staff, clinical officers and nursing staff, as well as students from the nursing school at Consolata Hospital in Nkubu.

I continue to leave pieces of my heart scattered all over the world… thanks to Umberto, the perpetual engine of the project and perfect host, thanks to Doctor Emelda who shared clinical decisions with me on a daily basis and who continues to share knowledge even from a distance, thanks to Moses and the other clinical officers and all those with whom I worked with. Special thanks to Father Efisio and to Salute e Sviluppo for the wonderful work they do and for offering me this opportunity which I hope is only the beginning of a long collaboration… and thanks to all the eyes that have crossed mine, to the smiles and tears and to all the “souls” who have caressed my soul and enriched it. See you.

Sonia

“I left to be useful” – Dr Mauro Ferro, a general surgeon from Turin, tells us what prompted him to leave for a period of voluntary work with Salute e Sviluppo at the Karungu Hospital in Kenya.

A totally new experience for those who, like our friend Mauro, already suffer from “Africa-sickness” and usually travel to discover this beautiful continent as a tourist. This time Mauro is not just any tourist, Mauro is a surgeon who would like to operate in a hospital in Kenya and thus have the chance to to experience first-handall the contradictions, the daily sorrows and joys of life that will indissolubly bind him to the paths of the lives that he operates, saves and knows.

Dr Mauro’s experience was totally positive, and he was immediately warmly welcomed by the entire local population – “There wasn’t a single patient who didn’t say hello to me every day in the hospital! – and soon established an excellent relationship of mutual trust and fruitful cooperation with all his colleagues.

“But the situation is still an extreme emergency, especially for HIV patients. In Karungu, we had about 7000 patients under treatment”. – Dr Ferro tells us how our help is indispensable and how it is needed now more than ever. “raise awareness among local population, so that everyone is aware of the risks of coming to the hospital only when you are in a bad condition.

We fully support Dr Mauro’s call to do more for a population still living in extreme poverty and great misinformation; more resources and aid are needed, now more than ever.

And we owe it above all to the children, the future generations, who are the hope of real change.“What about this experience will stay with me forever? the indelible looks of children on their faces.”

And through Dr Mauro’s eyes and gaze we have been able to relive a little of his great little experience, which is why we can only thank him, as well as for his invaluable help at the Karungu Hospital, for having told us, today, what he experienced #on-his-skin.

(Dr. Mauro Ferro archive control of HIV patients in treatment at Karungu Hospital)

Mariella, would you like to tell us how you approached the world of international cooperation and the third sector?

At the end of my high school studies in Sardinia, I moved to Forlì to continue my training. I have always been interested in what was happening on the international scene and so I chose to attend the degree course in International and Diplomatic Sciences. During the last years of my university career I specialized in the subject of human rights, discussing a thesis on the different reaction of the international community with respect to the cases of Kosovo and Chechnya.
Subsequently, I moved to Rome to attend a master’s degree in International protection of human rights, carrying out an internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During this experience I approached the world of Non-Governmental Organizations and seeing their work, my interest in the world of the third sector became stronger.
Later, I earned another master’s degree in Project Manager of international cooperation and during the internship experience I came into contact with Salute e Sviluppo, where – after a professional interlude in Spain – I started working permanently.

What do you do at Salute e Sviluppo?

I was immediately involved in the design and management of projects, since 2013 I have also been in charge of the general administration of SeS.

What did you like about Salute e Sviluppo as an organization?

I immediately liked Salute e Sviluppo both for the stimulating and sociable working environment in the office in Rome, and for the type of projects. They are continuous over time.
Often, once a project has been completed, there is no subsequent control over the territory. The sustainability of Salute and Sviluppo projects over time is instead guaranteed by the fact that it avails itself of the support and assistance of the Camillians in the various countries of intervention, who – regardless of the duration of the project – will always be present in the area for their mission, that is health support for the most vulnerable sections of the population With SeS we can improve their hospital services or build new ones.
Also, I strongly appreciate the multicultural and inter-religious exchange. I observed during the missions how people who often profess a different religion work alongside the missionaries. There is a lot of mutual respect and esteem, as well as full cooperation.

What prompted you to choose to leave for the various missions?

As said before, my passion for the third sector was born during my university career, where I approached subjects that dealt with human rights. Then the transition was natural: after having dealt with the defense of human rights, with ministerial bureaucracy, I realized that I needed something more. I felt the need to concretely see the work in the field, get to know the beneficiaries, see the activation of services. I can summarize that my eyes needed to see what I was projecting on paper.

What excites you about your work?

I am thrilled to see the birth and the end of something: to be able to leave on site and see a space where there is nothing … go back and be able to observe its transformation. For example, in one of my first missions, in Benin, I was thrilled to see – after more than a year from the start of the project – how an arid and isolated land had turned into a properly functioning hospital and had also become a center of aggregation.
It is wonderful to see how the project of Salute e Sviluppo, whether large or small, have a concrete impact on the life of the beneficiaries, transforming and improving it.

Leave for countries where the conditions you find are not the easiest. Is it tiring for you?

Surely you need to have a great spirit of adaptation. It serves both for the conditions of daily life and for situations of loneliness that sometimes have to be faced.
Let me explain better .. when you go on a mission you don’t spend most of your time in a big city, where you have the opportunity to meet co-workers or people who work in different sectors from countries all over the world. The stay in the capital usually lasts only a few days. It is a moment of transition before immerging myself fully in the real local context.
Our projects are found above all in the most fragile and isolated areas of a country. Consequently, we find ourselves in villages where there are hardly any other “expatriates” and / or there is no security to be able to go out alone.

What aspect do you like about the missions?

Without a doubt the meeting with the local population. In large cities they are used to the arrival and presence of foreign personnel, there is more movement. In small villages, which have no relations with the outside world, people are welcoming, joyful. children are curious, hospitable, they want to touch you, chat and play with you.. , everyone says hello, but above all there is a strong community spirit in which everyone knows each other. It is truly amazing to feel this human warmth.

In which country did you find more difficulties?

I believe the Central African Republic. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, where the main difficulty is the lack of means to work, but it is also the country that has remained in my heart the most.
While in Burkina Faso today there is a big security problem. Compared to my first missions, from 2010 to today I have seen a notable change in the country: from really quiet to rather dangerous due to the terrorist attacks that have sometimes hit the capital and especially the north and east of the country since 2016.

What about the other continents?

I have served missions in Peru and Vietnam.
In both cases, I was impressed by the close coexistence between high living standards and poverty even more evident than in some African countries. For example, in Lima, Peru, this diversity stands out in an overwhelming way: from one corner of the same neighborhood to the other, the scenario you encounter changes completely.
The experience in Vietnam was also strong: we move from developed and tourist metropolises such as Hoc Chi Minh to villages in the south of the country where poverty is extremely high.

This Christmas choose a gift that gives hope, that saves lives, that leaves your mark on the world. Instead of the usual necklace for her or a new tie for him; instead of the classic panettone or a good wine for your employees, choose a gift that differentiates you and, above all, makes a difference!

Find out how to add special value to your Christmas presents with Salute e Sviluppo on our page dedicated to the new 2016 Christmas campaign: CLICK HERE

In Burkina Faso, in Tenkodogo area, education is a right for few people. The lack of facilities and classrooms does not allow the large number of children living in the area to attend school and continue their studies.
In 2018, in order to provide of this lack thanks to funding from the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) with 8X1000 funds, the project “Post-primary and secondary school for the minors of Tenkodogo” was launched.

The initiative, ended on August 31th 2020, made possible the construction and the equippment of a post-primary and secondary school and the start of the courses.
The school has two floors: on the ground floor there are the classrooms dedicated to post-primary courses and on the upper floor the classrooms dedicated to secondary courses.

The post-primary course lasts 3 or 4 years and trains pupils for secondary education or professional life, concluding with a diploma at the end of basic education.
The secondary course, on the other hand, lasts 3 years and ends with the award of the BAC diploma (premier diplôme universitaire) with which boys and girls can access university courses.

In this way, 480 students, who have completed their primary education at neighbouring schools, have the opportunity to continue their studiesat post-primary and secondary level.
Alongside school activities, an awareness and information campaign was also launched in the surrounding schools to encourage pupils to enrol in post-primary school, with the involvement of their parents. Parents showed their awareness of the importance for their children to continue their studies.

pictures were taken before the Covid-19 emergency