Thanks to the 8xmille funds, 1991 projects have been financed from 416 to today for a total of 47 million euros in 80 countries on all continents.

The Italian Church, to address the lack of food, through the Service for Charitable Interventions for the Development of Peoples, thanks to the 8xmille funds, has financed 1991 projects from 416 to today for a total of 47 million euros in 80 countries on all continents.

These are initiatives in response to emergencies, for the prevention, adaptation or mitigation of the negative impact of climate change, for the initiation, support and enhancement of agricultural practices from a sustainability perspective. All projects arise from listening to the needs of the territories and aim to allow people and local communities to be protagonists of their development.

As in India, in Tamil Nadu, where the Diocese of Dindigul, thanks to these funds she was able to provide guidance and training, encouraging the start of organic vegetable gardens. She identified 500 families in 30 villages, who were also provided with seeds and seedlings: lettuce, beans, coconut, coriander, curry, ginger, green chili pepper, aubergines. All strictly organic to help the planet, but also to finally find a profitable market. “Thanks to this project,” says Shaila, “I have acquired knowledge about the importance of vegetables and greens and their nutritional and healing values. The daily consumption of what I was able to produce has helped me and my family improve our level of health and have a healthy and adequate diet.” The entire village was involved in raising awareness and taking care of the vegetable gardens, including waste collection and preparation to then use it as fertilizer.
Even in Perù, in the parish of San Andrés de Huaycán, in the district of Ate in Lima, the poorest families have organized themselves into what are called “Ollas Comunes”, a kind of shared soup kitchens, to cope with hunger, aggravated by growing unemployment and the increase in the price of basic foods. Food insecurity in the country causes chronic malnutrition in many children under the age of 5, and anemia in 38% of children between 6 and 35 months. Each “Olla” provides 80 food rations per day for a total of 3600 people per day. The proceeds from the sale of the rations at controlled prices are used to pay for water services, electricity and gas supplies. The project has allowed, thanks also to ASPEm, to strengthen the interventions of the local Food Bank with socio-pastoral workers, to improve the organization of the “Ollas Comunes” and the food recovery system and waste reduction of the food companies of Ate. Overall, the initiative involved 20 organizations of “Ollas Comunes”, 80 women, 400 families and 90 socio-pastoral workers.
In particular, hunger is increasing alarmingly in the African continent, where it affects 1 in 5 people. In addition to the necessary emergency interventions to deal with recurring crises, famines and droughts, also in Africa the Italian Episcopal Conference supports interventions through which, thanks to the Churches and local partners, we try to maintain maximum attention and respect towards individual communities, cultural diversity and traditional specificities. Because there can be no change without listening and full involvement of everyone. This is what happened in Angola, in the province of Cuando Muango, in the Diocese of Menongue, where more than 77.000 families are suffering from drought despite the presence of important rivers in the region. The diocese has built a fish farming center with several tanks to raise tilapia and produce 150 kg of fish per day. The tanks have been created, pumps have been purchased, a building has been set up for food preparation and training sessions have been held for the local population to also promote the marketing of the fish produced.