Leinì (Turin, Italy), 23 January 2009 – Our beloved Sister MariaGrazia Caputo has known us for many years, from when she was the General Director of VIDES International in Rome. Currently she is the permanent delegate of IIMA (Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice) and VIDES in Geneva.
Sister MariaGrazia wrote recently to Anima Universale: “I am allowing myself to ask you if it is possible to have some help for the project that we will be starting…”.
She was referring to the project “Educational strategies for the reception, accompaniment, rehabilitation, reinsertion of street children at the light of the Children’s Rights Convention”.
The project is promoted by IIMA (Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice) together with VIDES International and BICE (Bureau International Catholique de l’Enfance).
VIDES, IIMA and BICE have decided to start together a pilot project for the formation of 10 educators, defenders of infancy rights, who work for and with the street children in Latin America (Brasil, Colombia, Paraguay, Dominican Republic) and Asia (India, Nepal, Philippines).
The formative project will also include a seminary at the UN Office in Geneva, which “will allow to reflect together with Governments delegates, UN and Agencies officials, and NGOs representatives on effective themes like Countries’ economic engagement and education policies aimed at street children”.
Anima Universale answered the call for street children and gave 30,000 Euros to finance integrally the project.
“…What can I say? I was left without words from the deep feeling when reading your answer.
The Lord must help you ‘for sure’ … On all occasions in which I turned to you I have always had ( immediately ) a positive answer, typical of those who rely completely on Divine Providence.
I am very grateful and will keep you fully informed…”
– MariaGrazia Caputo - Human Rights Office FMA
Updated on 30-1-2009 – Sister MariaGrazia Caputo has sent an email to inform us of the project development:
“Today we are preparing to celebrate Don Bosco and am thinking of you a great deal: you too have dreams of peace and good for all.
If you knew, dear Ramias, how I grateful I am for the help that you gave me in order to realise the project in March… I don’t know what I would have been able to do otherwise…
The participants for the Salesian Institute and VIDES, instead of 6, have become 18! And they won’t come only from the Countries we talked about in the project draft, but others have joined from Asia – Thailand and Vietnam – and from America – Colombia and Honduras.
I will send you the report as soon as we finish at the end of March.
You are in my prayer: may God bless you!”
- MariaGrazia Caputo – Human Rights Office FMA