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THE FUTURE OF SNEHAGRAM

Towards the future of young people at Snehagram Centre Transition programme for independent life is the title of the third phase of the initiative that sees Salute e Sviluppo engaged in India to help HIV-positive children thanks to the contribution of the Catholic Church, which allocates part of the 8xMILLE of the total IRPEF revenue for charitable interventions in favour of the Third World.

HIV continues to be such a serious problem for India that the government, especially in recent years, has been pushing a massive education and prevention campaign. The results of this policy have been remarkable: in most of the territory, the percentage of new infections has dropped considerably. However, the number of HIV-positive children and young people who have been orphaned by this same disease and who risk a life of poverty and segregation still remains high: marginalised because they are considered infected and alone without relatives.

Sneha Charitable Trust (SCT) has been working for many years to welcome, care for and educate HIV-positive orphans, aiming at their full integration into society. Salute e Sviluppo, supported by the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (CEI), assists the centre’s activities through a multi-stage programme, each of which refers to a specific age group. At the moment, the third project is underway, which focuses on young people aged 18 to 24 and aims to get them into work and achieve autonomy/semi-autonomy.

All children accommodated at Snehagram are encouraged to choose their subjects and activities according to their own inclinations. This enhances learning and allows specialisation in a specific field that can be their future employment and source of income. Some decided to specialise in agriculture, others in animal husbandry, others in IT or mechanics. Based on these fields of interest, the centre equipped itself with everything necessary to help the young people acquire effective practical training: fields were created, a greenhouse and a farm were built, seeds, fertilisers and various equipment were bought.

In addition to vocational training, a key part of the project is the construction of housing that will be allocated to each young person according to their chosen field of work and health status. Those who, over the years, have specialised in areas such as mechanics or IT need to be close to the city, as opposed to those who, working in the fields or on the farm, need to stay in their immediate vicinity.

Those who benefit from this project are both the 40 young people who, having grown up at the Snehagram reception centre, have become adults and need to become socially and economically self-sufficient; and the community, which will have a young and specialised workforce that can be employed in several professional sectors.

The stigma of HIV is still very much felt in India, and being able to integrate these young people into the social fabric, thanks to the technical skills they have acquired, means moving them away from the segregation and isolation that a disease like AIDS has as its direct consequences in some parts of the world.

Salute e Sviluppo launched this two-year project in 2018. During the first year, the set objectives were achieved and the deadlines were met. The advent of the pandemic in March 2020 made the smooth continuation of the programme impossible: all Snehagram’s activities were converted to cope with the COVID, which erupted violently in India, affecting most of the centre’s guests, workers and even local Camillians.

It was not until last autumn that all project activities could be resumed. At the end, we at Salute e Sviluppo will be proud to introduce you to the 40 boys from the Snehagram centre, who, thanks to the help of the CEI, can now look forward to a peaceful life fully integrated in their society and community.

FIRST AID, MEDICAL AND NUTRITIONAL ASSISTANCE: PROGRESS AT BOSSEMPTÉLÉ

The Health and Nutrition Project for the Vulnerable Population of the Sub-Prefecture of Bossemptélé is part of the ‘Emergency Initiative to Support the Vulnerable Population in Central African Republic’ funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).

We get to know Bossemptélé better thanks to the numerous projects with which Salute e Sviluppo has been trying to improve the socio-sanitary status of the Central African sub-prefecture for more than 10 years now. The John Paul II Hospital is the symbol of the Camillian commitment in the area: for years it has been responsible for improving the sanitary conditions of the population, remaining a pillar of reference for local communities even when the upheavals inside the country have made complex the activities of many other structures.

Also for this project ses starts from the John Paul II Hospital: despite the improvements made with the previous interventions, still significant are the shortcomings found, first of all the lack of an emergency room. The only room used for initial reception is simultaneously used for outpatient visits. Hence the need to renew the structure to allow the proper division of the premises and the separation between services dedicated to ordinary consultation and the treatment of emergency patients. At the moment the works of the new reception area have reached 32% of construction,the old walls of the structure have been demolished and new ones are being erected.

Most patients arrive at the hospital in a state of severe malnutrition: clearly the lack of food is a serious problem that must be solved, but it is even more effective in patients who have to undergo therapy and who, in the absence of food, cannot take their medication properly. Very often hospital inmates come from neighboring villages and once in Bossemptélé can not afford to buy any basic necessities because of the higher prices of the city than the rural areas to which they belong.

To improve the nutritional conditions of patients, it was decided to build a kitchen adjacent to the hospital with the intention of providing daily at least two meals a day for each patient. In 5 months from the beginning of the project the structure was completed for 80%. Since last December, and until the construction of the kitchen is underway, meals are prepared in a temporary outdoor room. Up to now, more than 3000 patients and relatives of hospital patients have already been served, thus representing a great result for their general health.

 

Another deficiency at the John Paul II Hospital in Bossemptélé, which the project aims to remedy, is that the hospital’s medical staff are not sufficiently trained in certain specialist areas of medicine, including maternity and ophthalmology. Therefore, training courses by specialists from the capital Bangui were set up to make the staff more competent in providing specific care. Classes started in December and continue to take place with the participation of 38 health workers from the hospital.

The projects aimed at improving health and hygiene conditions are not only concentrated in the John Paul II hospital in Bossemptélé, which is indeed the most solid health centre, but are also spread throughout the neighbouring areas with specific solutions that allow the populations of the nearby villages to benefit from many treatments without having to make the journey to the hospital, which is far from easy.

In some villages there are so-called postes de santé, buildings that act as small medical centres, but which need to be upgraded and expanded in order to be operational. Thanks to the project, the renovation of the postes de santé in the villages of Gbawi, Bodangui and Bombalou has started and is now 38% complete. While in the village of Yangoro, the complete construction of a poste de santé is proceeding, now at about 45 % completion. In addition, for the correct compliance with hygiene rules – sanitary each of these principals needs a well in the immediate vicinity that ensures the supply of clean water. For this reason, hand-dug wells have been constructed in all the villages mentioned and are currently being tested.

In order to further expand the offer of adequate medical care, the mobile clinic service has been strengthened, responding to a need that had long been identified in the area of intervention. Rural and poorly connected areas, also without postes de santé, are reached on a rotating basis twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) by hospital staff who perform consultations for all the villagers reached. The mobile clinic is fully functional, operating in territories deemed safe and bringing real benefit to the population. Its sole purpose is not to visit the population, but to be an integral part of a preventive action of education, information and communication on health and hygiene in rural communities. Very often common diseases can be easily avoided thanks to a greater knowledge and awareness of issues and behaviors related to hygiene and health, without resorting to popular practices and beliefs that continue to play a preponderant role in the life of the locals. In fact, the work of traditionally accredited carers/healers, using non-medical techniques, sometimes leads to serious complications and a marked deterioration in the health status of patients.

In order to prevent these practices, which are unfortunately still widespread, and to encourage correct referral to the hospital in case of need, monthly training sessions are held in the hospital meeting room on the last Saturday of each month to raise awareness of the issue among health workers in the postes de santé located in the villages and among the traditional healers themselves, with whom cooperation is increasingly intensifying.

The Health and Nutrition Project for the Vulnerable Population of the Sub-Prefecture of Bossemptélé is now halfway through its journey. Started at the end of September last year, the one-year project is proceeding as planned and is already bringing benefits to the local communities involved.

A hoped-for result, but not a foregone conclusion given the endemic difficulties of the area: both from the point of view of local security, which sometimes undermines the possibility of considerable and lasting results, and because of the poverty of the nation, which is still one of the poorest in the world.

Salute e Sviluppo, together with AICS, aims to bring this project to fruition and contribute to the real improvement of the living conditions of the local population, which continues to be afflicted by diseases that are easily treatable with the right means and the correct prevention. We will keep you updated on further developments and on all the small and large steps that will be taken in the interests of the Bossemptélé sub-prefecture.

 

LET’S LEARN HEALTH IN OUHAM-PENDE PROVINCE!

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.

BOSSEMPTÉLÉ: EDUCATION AND HEALTH FOR A BETTER LIFE

Started on 1 January 2021, the Project to set up a nursing school: vocational training courses to improve health conditions in the Central African Republic, is financed by the Italian Episcopal Conference(CEI).

Following on-site inspections carried out in previous years by Salute e Sviluppo, the subprefecture of Bossemptélé was identified as a suitable area for the project. 300 km from the capital Bangui, in one of the poorest areas of the Central African Republic. The population is extremely poor, with mud and straw dwellings, impassable roads in the rainy season and no electricity or telephone network.

Health has serious shortcomings: despite the lack of infrastructure adequate and capillaries in the territory, we note the almost complete absence of qualified and adequately trained figures in both the technical and nursing field. Higher and vocational education systems have significant limitations which prevent existing structures from responding adequately to the demand for staff.

The expansion of the John Paul II Hospital, owned by the Camillian delegation in RCA, is already underway in Bossemptélé: a project carried out to implement the development of the territory, to improve the health conditions of the population and to ensure that all the population has access to the necessary care. Linked to this project is the realization of the nursing school.

In concrete terms: the construction of the structure that will house the courses, the fence and the well is already underway; later we will proceed with the purchase of furniture, computers and other technological material that can make certified and nationally recognised this course of studies, including field placements in John Paul II Hospital. The primary objective is respond to the needs of local populations that need more nursing staff, and secondary objective is promote the social inclusion and economic integration of young students.

The direct beneficiaries of the activities proposed in this project will be 40 young people in the two years of training, 25 institutional agents of community health and about 300 students of the final secondary schools; while indirectly benefiting from the project about 24,500 people from the communities. The teaching staff, which will be responsible for teaching multiple subjects, is composed of local professors: doctors and nurses present in the Sub-prefecture and in the region.

 

Through a continuous training action, the aim is to contribute to the educational development oriented towards the reintegration and qualification of the workforce in the health sector, so as to “improve the quality of health services in the Ouham-Pendé region” the primary mission of the project. Moreover, the synergy between this project anche the Paul II Youth Hospital, will guarantee high standards of infrastructure and will make the project well rooted in the territory.

In just one year, considerable progress has been made, the infrastructure is beginning to take shape and the first works have been completed. In the next year we aim to improve: finishing all the facilities and making the school operational. We will keep you updated on all the small and large goals that we will achieve!

 

At Garango we grow together

 

On 1 February, started the project of Construction of a nursery school in Garango in Burkina Faso, funded by the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (CEI), with one aim: to give even the youngest children the chance to create happy memories and give them the basis for continuing their education.

The town of Garango is located in the central eastern region of Burkina Faso, which is considered one of the poorest areas of the country. There are many problems: from the health problems to those concerning education, particularly affected by the lack of infrastructure and the extreme poverty of the country. In recent years, the government has tried by all means to overcome this condition, which also presents obstacles of a cultural nature.

In particular, the fact that there are no educational structures suitable for pre-school training is worrying: children aged 3 to 5 years are not adequately followedand supported towards elementary learning. This is the background to the desire of Salute e Sviluppo, in collaboration with the Diocese of Tenkodogo, to build these bases, which are sorely lacking in a country that absolutely needs them.

Three large classrooms, a rest room, a room for administration, toilets and school canteen, will be all the environments in which will be housed 100 children aged 3 to 5 yearswho will benefit from the construction of the kindergarten.

The educators who will have the task of looking after the children will be local workers who will also have a much more complex task: raising awareness among adults about education and schooling. One of the obstacles encountered in Burkina Faso in the fight for literacy is the reluctance of families to send their children to school, sometimes because of the remoteness of the facilities, but also because there is an ingrained mentality that sees children as labour resources from an early age. The kindergarten project aims to disrupt this system and involve parents in their children’s activities, to make them understand the extreme importance that continuous education will have in their children’s future lives.

The profound desire behind the project is to create a general awareness that will push the new generations towards more education and greater trust in educational institutions.

Salute e Sviluppo is committed to pursuing this initiative thanks to the collaboration of the Diocese of Tenkodogo, local partner, which for years has been involved in many projects aimed at improving the living conditions and education of the populations of the central eastern region of Burkina Faso, managing both primary and secondary training institutes. Beyond the Diocese the project enjoys the full support of the Ministry of Education Burkinabé, as well as the governor of the central-eastern region

All this support, including institutional support, makes the project a long-term intervention. The children, their parents and the communities surrounding the families directly involved will be the beneficiaries of a project that aims to remain a cornerstone of education for the youngest children in that part of the country. The importance that we want to give also to the awareness, and not only to the simple education of children,aims to make all the population more aware, attentive and cohesive,ready to overcome the new challenges that the world constantly imposes especially on the new generations.

The project will last one year, we will keep you updated on the results we will get!

SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIAN DISPLACED PERSONS AND REFUGEES IN POLAND

The situation in Ukraine is getting worse day by the day. Countless people were internally displaced. One million people have fled their homes, uprooted from their land. Among these, hundreds of thousands took the road to the Polish border, carrying only a suitcase or bag. It is very likely that more and more people will be forced to flee the terrible reality of the violence caused by war, unless the conflict ceases instantaneously.

Faced with the massive evacuation of Ukrainian refugees to Poland, the Polish government, various charities, individuals, each in its own way is trying to rescue emigrants

Aid to refugees was initially organised in a very spontaneous way. In thousands of places set up specifically for this purpose, people brought basic necessities of life. At present, the biggest problem is to provide them with adequate accommodation.

In this dramatic situation, Salute e Sviluppo, in collaboration with other Camillian and non-camillian organizations, is supporting the emergency action promoted by the Polish Camillian Province in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

The Province, which works in coordination with Caritas, is organizing two important interventions to welcome part of the flow of fleeing Ukrainian people arriving in the cities of Poland:

– provide psychosocial support for refugee children who are welcomed by families around the Camillian parish of Tarnowskie Góry.

– provide temporary accommodation for 55 families who have fled, with the reopening of the seminary in Burakow (Lomianki), and help families who choose to start a new life in Poland to find a new flat and a new job in order to achieve an independent life.

To do this we also need you. Click here, choose the method of donation and enter in the reason HELP UKRAINE

 

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