IPA – Io Per l’Altro was born in 2014 in Rome and its first mission is helping a community of orphans in Togo, near Atakpamé in the village called Aveté.
Togo
Since the very beginning IPA worked hard to restore the school in Avete, a village near Atakpame. Several crowdfunding events were set up in order to raise money so we could be able to give the chance to all the orphans to used to attend the high school to receive a proper education as far as severe weather destroyed the roof and multiple areas of the building.
2014-2015 – “L’acqua è vita”
Our first aim is to make this community independent and self-sufficient. After our first experience in Africa we realised that the main cause of the infant mortality rate was the non-drinking water. Therefore, our next step was to build a water well for drinkable water to provide to all those kids and people who lived the area non-toxic water. Accordingly to this need, the association put on several awareness events to raise funds and to install the still working hydraulic pump.
2015-2016 – “La casa degli orfani”
One of the rights of each child is to have a roof overhead and that is why we have put this project to work: the construction of an orphanage. Our kids used to live in the huts of the generous families of the village who shared their “nothing” with these orphans. So we planned to build a house for those needing children and students who had no place where to go. The structure we planned is on a single plan in order to reduce the environmental impact and the economic outlay. It is characterized by a central environment that will act as a boarder and, only momentarily, we hope for medical attendance. On the wings of the structure there are the areas that now host at least 95 orphans, with the hope they won’t increase, and the volunteer staff who will handle the management of these children.
The orphanage will be built near the “school” to facilitate access for orphans to education. The project also includes an internal garden to help the orphan’s livelihood.
Europe
April/May 2017 – “no WALLS more WORDS”
Our most ambitious project certainly is NO WALLS MORE WORDS: a bicycle trip from Amsterdam to Rome to talk about young people – Europe – youth mobility with zero impact – intercultural dialogue. A project and a social experiment, which realizes words like welcome, hospitality, overcoming barriers. In fact, the youngsters who participated in the project were hosted by the locals, with the aim of not having to spend to sleep. During the crossing of the eight countries: Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, France, Switzerland, Lichteinstain, Italy. Local NGOs were involved through dynamic and inclusive activities to invite them to accompany us at the next stage.
The aim of the project is to raise young people’s awareness of issues such as mobility, which includes not just the youth, and therefore the Erasmus + program, but also the massive phenomenon of migration.
On the other hand, it stimulates schools to involve their students by making them protagonists of a change, giving them confidence and hope, displaying them together with constancy and determination can really be the change we hope to see in the world through ‘sports company – the IPA association has always supported sport as a means of social integration.