Solidarity is born from a stirring of the heart that transforms into concrete action: it works for the collective good, led by intelligence, social cohesion and the ability to create a network of people to support the most fragile, those in difficulty and those who have always been on the front line in an emergency. This is what the concept of solidarity means to the representatives of the five organizations that we supported through the crowdfunding held in-house here in Italy between April and June 2020. This initiative was promoted by Enel Cuore, which then matched the total sum raised, doubling the amount to result in an overall donation of more than 2 million euros. The goal was to support the third sector organizations involved in helping the vulnerable and the marginalized, whose situations were made significantly worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The health emergency has, in fact, exacerbated the loneliness and social isolation of society’s most vulnerable, while amplifying economic hardship and resulting in an increase in poverty and marginalization. This situation made it even more urgent to create a network to provide concrete and widespread support throughout Italy for the initiatives being implemented by these five non-profit organizations. We met with the Comunità di Sant’Egidio ACAP Onlus (the Community of St. Egidio, a non-profit charitable organization); Caritas Italiana (the pastoral body of the Italian Episcopal Conference); FISH: la Federazione Italiana per il Superamento dell’Handicap (the Italian Federation for Overcoming Handicaps), la Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus (national non-profit Food Bank Foundation); and FNOPI: la Federazione Nazionale degli Ordini delle Professioni Infermieristiche (the National Federation of Nursing Professionals) to get an overview of the actions they have taken in recent months, thanks in part to our contribution, and to gain insight into the important work they are doing to help facilitate the country’s recovery. It’s a way to discover, once again, that solidarity has an ethical value but it is also a concrete foundation upon which to build a socially sustainable future for all.Together with FNOPI Our crowdfunding activities have enabled us to provide support for the #NoiConGliInfermieri solidarity fund, which is organized by FNOPI (National Federation of Associations of Nursing Professions). In so doing we've been able to express our immense gratitude to all the nurses who continue to operate on the front line in the fight against the pandemic. Being a nurse means a relationship of aid, in support of other people and of the entire community. Nicola Draoli, Member of the FNOPI's National CouncilTogether with Banco Alimentare The Covid-19 health emergency has led to a substantial increase in the need for food assistance. With the resources donated through our crowdfunding initiative, we have been helping to boost the work of Fondazione Banco Alimentare (the Food Bank Foundation). For more than thirty years, the foundation has been collecting foodstuffs and basic necessities and then distributing them to charitable organizations across the country that provide them to people and families experiencing hardship. In this emergency, it is increasingly important to work as a network to ensure that no one is isolated and no one is left behind. Giovanni Bruno, President of Fondazione Banco AlimentareTogether with FISH The emergency crisis brought on by the pandemic had its greatest impact on those already facing difficulty in their lives. With the crowdfunding we have been able to provide support to the Federazione Italiana per il Superamento dell’Handicap (FISH – the Italian Federation for Overcoming Handicaps) and its member organizations, including the Agenzia per la Vita Indipendente (AVI – the Independent Life Agency), to provide solid support to those living with a disability every single day, so as to enable them to deal with the emergency and look towards the future with confidence. A major challenge awaits us: everyone, bar nobody, has to be ready and fully committed to relaunching Italy. Vincenzo Falabella, President of FISHTogether with Sant’Egidio Since 2004 we have been collaborating with the Comunità di Sant’Egidio in Rome and in other cities in Italy as part of the “Viva gli Anziani!” project, which aims to alleviate the loneliness and poverty experienced by elderly people. Thanks in part to our crowdfunding initiative, the project has been able to boost its actions to support this segment of the population, which has been made even more vulnerable by the pandemic. Thanks to this crowdfunding initiative, we have been able to expand our network and increase the calls that we make each day to the elderly. We have implemented the program in two more cities, Parma and Padua, and in another three neighbourhoods in the municipality of Rome. Massimiliano Umani, project coordinator of “Viva Gli Anziani!”, Comunità di Sant’EgidioTogether with Caritas As a result of the pandemic, the number of families that have turned to Caritas for help has increased significantly. Thanks to the donations received via the crowdfunding campaign, we've provided support to the network of Caritas kitchens and Empori Solidali (Solidarity Stores) across the entire country. This gesture was borne out of a desire to share, to help the weakest members of society and to start afresh through the value of social cohesion. It's important that the community rediscovers from within the strength to rebuild, starting by helping the weakest members of society while focusing on social cohesion, the primary driving force behind any post-emergency rebuilding process. Don Andrea La Regina, Head of Caritas Projects
