MICROPROJECTS
AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
In addition to the long-distance support of children in need, the Secretariat of the Claretian Missions ONLUS has always at heart the improvement of the conditions of families. The factors that hinder the balanced growth of children are numerous. Those that most determine this problem are: the lack of food and its poor quality. It is essential to create conditions for the sustainability and self-financing of families through micro-projects and social development.
In recent years, various programs have been developed to reduce poverty and to strengthen the economic resources of the heads of families.
To address this problem, the Secretariat turns its attention to the poorest regions of the countries of Africa and Asia, developing projects in the field of health, hygiene and social development, with particular attention to education, the emancipation of women, to promotion and professional training and, to the development of agricultural and micro-credit projects.
A SEED OF LIFE - ORGANIC GARDEN - WELULI - INDONÉSIA
The activities developed in this project include plantations of legumes and vegetables, fish farming and marketing of agricultural products. The goal is to improve the nutritional conditions of families whose primary beneficiaries are children. The project offers significant economic savings to families and the possibility of eating healthy food of good quality.
DAILY BREAD - CAAGAÇU - PARAGUAY
The vast majority of the population of Caagaçu lives on one person’s salary, usually that of the head of the family, which is worth around $ 80 a month. It is the women who, in addition to strive to make ends meet with odd jobs, they must provide water and wood for the kitchen.
With the adhesion of a small group of women, a small productive and economic activity, the community bakery, was undertaken in a cooperative way. The mothers work with simple and essential raw materials, such as water, flour, sugar to make bread and desserts which, when the proceeds are sold, become the concrete response to the needs that have emerged in the local social context. In addition to its essential purpose, this project favours the recovery of social integration.
COOPERATIVE BLA TINGUE - ABIDJAN - IVORY COAST
The objective of the Cooperative is to promote women’s emancipation, gender equality and the start-up of micro-enterprises and women’s self-employment activities in various sectors, through human and professional training interventions for young people from the local community of Port-Bouët, in order to make them autonomous also from a financial point of view. The multipurpose building of the BLA TINGUE Cooperative also houses four production units: tailoring, confectionery, hairdressing and beauty salon, IT. The young women who have received training in the Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Centre for Women Formation work permanently in these units.
SPONSOR A HEAD OF THE FAMILY
In close collaboration with the Catholic Liaison Committee of Milan, some projects are carried out in the field of family promotion, including the Sponsor a Head of Family project. The project aims to create micro-enterprises and micro-projects in developing countries, offering work to heads of families, to redeem them from misery and to avoid forced emigration and family breakdown. By sponsoring a father or a mother and giving them the opportunity to work while remaining in their own land, help and support is offered not only to the direct beneficiaries, but to the entire family. In our missions assisted by the “sponsor a dad” project in Abidjan – Ivory Coast, Kpimé Seva – Togo, Manila and Bunguiao – Philippines, local teachers have been hired to teach computer science, cutting and sewing, cooking and pastry shop, hairdresser, nurse and health care and general services.
SOCIAL CENTER - BUNGUIAO - PHILIPPINES
The community of the Missionary Sisters of St. Anthony Mary Claret present in this small village, faced with the poverty in which the majority of the people live, has established the Immaculate Heart of Mary Social Centre, where the fathers and mothers who take care of the kitchen, the distribution of food to the most needy families, they also take care of agriculture and general services in the Medical Clinic.
COOPERATIVE OF ANIMAL BREEDING - BUNGUIAO - PHILIPPINES
Among the various activities to promote the social development of the region, the community of the Claretian Missionary Sisters has created the cow and pig breeding cooperative, counting on the voluntary collaboration of a veterinarian. The project gives families the opportunity to have a couple of animals according to their ability to support them. These are used for food support and financial aid. The project provides for the accompaniment of families, control of animal care and the management of resources in the system of cooperation among the members of the project.
FARMING OF POULTRY AND RABBITS - ABENGOUROU - IVORY COAST
The activity of the population in the Indénié Djuablin region in the Ivory Coast is mainly agricultural. But with the aging of the coffee and cocoa plantation and the scarcity of land suitable for these crops, the businesses are no longer profitable. To address this problem of lack of work and consequent impoverishment of the people, the poultry and rabbit breeding project was created. This project helps to support poor families and at the same time offers paid work to some fathers of families.
Water and Honey Project - Prikro - Ivory Coast
In close collaboration with the Water and Honey Association of Balerna – Switzerland, the Missionary Sisters of St. Anthony Mary Claret present in Prikro, Ivory Coast, support the work carried out by the Association in the construction of cisterns and social development programs, which concern beekeeping, organic agriculture, production of fruit trees and construction of a carpentry, giving young boys the opportunity to work and learn a trade.
