In order to help Aids orphans and street children of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Anima Universale cooperates actively with the Village of Joy founded by Father Fulgenzio Cortesi, a Passionist missionary.
Father Fulgenzio (in the photograph with our founder Swami Roberto) was born in Castel Rozzone (Bergamo, Italy). A journalist and a writer, he has been concerned with African affairs with love and passion for over forty years. On 2nd June 2004 he was awarded a rare and very important prize for his commitment to solidarity by the President of the Italian Republic, Mr. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
One large furnished school
Anima Universale donated to the Village of Joy a large furnished school with concrete walls. The children, Christian and Muslim, who are attending the school had not been able to study without the help of Father Fulgenzio’s Work. Thanks to God’s Providence, also we of Anima Universale have contributed to help these extremely poor children to receive adequate education.
The school and some of our ramias during a visit
School day at the Village of Joy
Our family-house for orphans
We donated a family-house to the orphans of the Village of Joy. The cost of the family-house was Euro 72,000 . The building includes kitchen, storeroom, dining room, study and game room, laundry and four children’s bedrooms with three beds each. Moreover there are two rooms for the “adoptive parents” and bathrooms. (In the right photograph: the President of Anima Universale with some of the children living in the family-houses of the Village).
Left photograph: the family-house given by Anima Universale Right photograph: the President of Anima Universale with children living in the Village of Joy
A container full of aid
Thanks to the usual cooperation and enormous generosity of all the people attending the Centres of Anima Universale, in a few days we were able to gather 26 tons of school equipment and basic commodities worth more than Euro 57,000 for the children of the Village of Joy.
The Blessing of the pallets; the container just arrived in Africa
An indispensable well
Lack of water is often a great problem in Dar es Salaam; therefore we have given Father Fulgenzio Cortesi Euro 18,000 which he needed to drill a well for the Village of Joy and to buy the relevant hydraulic and electrical plants.
A child of the Village of Joy drawing water from the fountain
Two ovens for the Bakery
Anima Universale donated two professional ovens to the Village of Joy. The cost was Euro 1,800 . These ovens are now the “heart” of the Bakery — in the photograph — which Father Fulgenzio has just built as a further means of sustenance for the Village.
Ramias are loading the ovens in our Centre. In the second photograph, the ovens at destination.
Website for the Village of Joy
Ramia Riccardo has designed and developed the website for the Village of Joy (www.ilvillaggiodellagioia.it ) and maintains it together with Father Fulgenzio. The site is hosted free on the web server of Anima Universale and gets a big number of hits per day.
most beloved… and most great… friends
the website is really too, too beautiful…
I don’t know what to say…
every time you operate, it looks just like the Creator Spirit be with you and assist you in special way;
May you always operate enlightened by His knowledge !
I strongly hug you and with much and much joy in the heart
a brotherly, deep greeting to Roberto and to you ALL, blessed creatures!
yours Father Fulgenzio
Publications and multimedia
Father Fulgenzio relies heavily on the creative capacity of Anima Universale for the realization of publications for the Village of Joy. These are works which surely take much time and require professional skill, but they are worth the trouble. The offerings gathered by Father Fulgenzio by their spreading are, in fact, an important contribution for the needs of the Village of Joy.
Calendar of the Village of Joy – 2006
Graphic design and layout - 12,000 copies (28 page, colour - printing expense: Euro 7,280 ).
Father Fulgenzio had written twelve deep reflections about Africa for the purpose of the calendar, making every month important. His biting pen has inspired us in the creation of a layout full of colours and “African spirit”.
We shared the enthusiasm of Father Fulgenzio for the calendar on the occasion of one of his visits to our Founder and the community of ramia brothers.
Swami Roberto spoke of our cooperation with Father Fulgenzio’s Work to a beloved friend: Patrizia Mirigliani, patron of the TV beauty contest “Miss Italia”, (in the photograph: Patrizia Mirigliani and Swami Roberto showing the calendar). So it happened that the Village of Joy has been sponsored and promoted during the final events of Miss Italia 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 on the Italian Public Television channel RAI 1.
Calendar of the Village of Joy – 2007
Graphic design and layout - 11,000 copies (28 pages, colour – printing expense: Euro 7,260 ).
Calendar of the Village of Joy – 2008
Graphic design and layout - 11,000 copies (28 pages, colour – printing expense: Euro 6,930 ).
Calendar of the Village of Joy – 2009
Graphic design and layout care of Anima Universale.
The Village of Joy has grown enormously over few years. The beautiful photographs of the calendar 2009 show
all that the Village provide to the 104 resident children: housing, food, education, prayer, play.
Calendar of the Village of Joy – 2010
Graphic design, layout and printing in 9,180 copies ( – printing expense: Euro 5,948.64 ).
The calendar 2010 is dedicated to the Hope & Joy Medium and Primary English School of the Village of Joy.
Christmas cards for the Village of Joy – 2004
Graphic design of 12 themes inspired to Africa printed in 50,000 copies with envelopes (printing expense Euro 2,260 ).
Christmas cards for the Village of Joy – 2008
Graphic design of 9 themes with photographs of the children of the Village of Joy printed in 25,000 copies (printing expense Euro 1,200 ).
Christmas cards for the Village of Joy – 2009
Graphic design of 7 new themes with photographs of the children of the Village of Joy
The Village of Joy illustrated magazine
Graphic design and layout of the single issue December 2004 (36 pages, colour).
illustrated report of the story of Father Fulgenzio’s Work and of some special events at the Village.
Informative leaflets
Father Fulgenzio and our President ramia Osvaldo Ristuccia are showing the leaflet Graphic design - 5,000 copies (printing expense: Euro 600 ).
Leaflet for the introduction of the newly born religious Institute “Mothers of Orphans” - the nuns who will take care of the children living in the Village of Joy.
Graphic design - 4,500 copies (printing expense: Euro 780 ).
Multilingual leaflet to be distributed in Tanzania.
Video documentary
On the occasion of a period of service of some ramias at the Village of Joy, we were able to film two important events: the arrival of the first twelve children on 7 January 2004 and the first opening ceremony of the Village of Joy and of the school donated by Anima Universale.
The documentary was edited professionally by technicians of Anima Universale.
This video, beside being a testimony to an event for which we are honoured to say “We were there as well”, it is also a useful tool for the conferences held by Father Fulgenzio Cortesi.
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