In 1972, CEFA was established in Bologna, an NGO founded by Giovanni Bersani and by Father Angelo Cavagna, together with a group of agricultural cooperatives from Emilia-Romagna. The idea was simple, yet visionary: to bring their expertise to the rural areas of Africa and Latin America, where agriculture was, and still is, the basis of daily life. Lucrezia Lanzani interviews Alice Fanti, director of CEFA, for FARE INSIEME Charity
FARE INSIEME CHARITY is the spin-off of the FARE INSIEME project dedicated to the presentation of some onlus and non-profit associations with roots in the area around Bologna, Ferrara and Modena and that carry out extraordinarily important and crucial work for the entire community. Here are some of their stories.
by Lucrezia Lanzani*
"Cooperation: organising joint work, for the achievement, without intermediaries, of a given production, consumption, or credit goal."
In 1972, CEFA was established in Bologna, an NGO founded by Giovanni Bersani and Father Angelo Cavagna, together with a group of agricultural cooperatives from Emilia-Romagna. The idea was simple yet visionary: to bring their expertise to the rural areas of Africa and Latin America, where agriculture was - and still is - the basis of daily life. In over fifty years of activity, CEFA (European Committee for Education and Agriculture) has grown significantly, broadening its horizons. Today, alongside agriculture, it also works on issues of gender equality and employment inclusion, always with a guiding principle: listening to the needs of each community and responding concretely, improving various aspects of daily life. One example is the "Water for growth" project, active in Tanzania and Somalia. Water is not only essential for drinking and ensuring hygiene and health, but also represents a source of income for families who live off agriculture. Yet, in some areas, its lack even becomes an obstacle to education: there are girls who cannot attend school during their menstruation because of poor hygiene. Creating community wells not only reduces the burden of water collection for women, but also promotes access to education, often in residential schools far from villages.
«This is why», explains Alice Fanti, director of CEFA, «we are also working on school gardens: they provide food for students, but they are also spaces for learning. We want schools to be self-sufficient in terms of food, so that students can live there during the academic year.» Alongside water, CEFA also carries out projects dedicated to employment. Because work is not just sustenance, but also dignity, autonomy, and fulfillment. Creating job opportunities is the foundation of every journey, especially in North Africa, to promote integration and inclusion, even after a migration process. «Work, the environment, and agriculture are the three pillars of our commitment», continues Fanti, «always accompanied by the fight against inequality. This is why we focus especially on women and children, the most vulnerable and often the most affected.» CEFA also works extensively in Italy, with global citizenship education projects aimed at both students and adults. The goal is to raise awareness of the major issues it faces every day, starting with gender inequality, by fostering empathy and awareness.
Every year, on October 16th - World Food Day, established to commemorate the founding of the FAO - CEFA brings its message to the heart of Bologna, in Piazza Maggiore, with the event "Fill the empty plate". This year, the theme was the impact of conflict and war on access to food and the consequences of violence. The square was filled with empty plates, which people could symbolically fill, creating a large pixel art work: a collective gesture to say no to inequality. The event was accompanied by debates and reflections. The poster was designed by Beatrice Alemagna, who donated a dedicated illustration: a little girl flying on a bird, clutching an empty plate. «An image that speaks of migration», Alice Fanti concludes, «which I prefer to define as involuntary. Because this is precisely our task: to work to ensure that the movement of people becomes a choice and not an obligation.»
*Lucrezia Lanzani is a former student of Liceo Steam Emilia, who is now studying Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. She is eighteen years old and has always been interested in social issues. For more than three years, she has been volunteering in various organizations in her community.
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