Jan. 14 – The Aletheia project, held in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and managed by the “Centro Studi Aletheia” in Lamezia Terme (CZ) in collaboration with the local partner Hida (Hiwot Integrated Development Association), was called “Care and support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Program – Economic Strengthening initiatives.” The project was initiated by the city of Lamezia Terme in January 2012, for “the identification of projects of international cooperation.” The direct beneficiaries of the project were about 50 young Ethiopian orphans living in poverty, their ages ranging between 13 and 18. Initially, the project provided for the establishment and development of a training and orientation process in order to bring out and select the different professional propensities to start small businesses, to be supported in a latter moment via micro-credit. The final stages of the program were supposed to include a representative from Hida traveling to Lamezia to present the end-results and thus increase public awareness towards development cooperation issues. Among the other aims, the project was also to promote the City’s engagement in fundraising events for philanthropic activities in Ethiopia. Due to the small funding size, however, the “Centro Studi Aletheia” had to greatly reduce the initial aims, and focused its assets almost exclusively on training activities and data collection. Nevertheless, the project has had an extremely positive result, proactively involving Ethiopian children, as highlighted in the final report submitted to Lamezia’s City Hall, trying to bring out the best of their professional propensities in order to adapt to the demands and needs of the local economy.
