ROME (ITALPRESS) – A conference on “Social hardship and poverty: responding to the crisis” was held this morning in the Sala della Pace of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome. The event made it possible to present the experience of the Sant’Egidio Friendship Houses in favor of the most fragile segments of the population and the results of the project “The Year to Come,” carried out in collaboration with UniCredit. The event, which opened with greetings from the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policies with responsibility for the Third Sector, Maria Teresa Bellucci, Lazio Region’s Councillor for Social Inclusion, Massimiliano Maselli, and Roma Capitale’s Councillor for Social Policies, Barbara Funari, was addressed by Community of Sant’Egidio President Marco Impagliazzo, UniCredit’s Deputy Head for Italy, Remo Taricani, and Cnel’s Secretary General, Massimiliano Monnanni.
“We are very pleased with this collaboration,” said Impagliazzo (Sant’Egidio), “Our work through the Houses of Friendship, which includes food distributions and finding housing and work solutions, is part of an ‘adoptive’ model of the different living conditions of individuals and families. Through encounter and concrete support, it is possible to begin pathways to restart those in crisis due to socio-economic hardship. A much-needed restart in the face of social suffering that has increased throughout Italy since the pandemic, especially in many suburbs of our cities. Through UniCredit’s support we have been able to increase our presence in seven major Italian cities, and from the North to the South of the country we have been able to reach thousands of people. This partnership shows that when the for-profit world allies intelligently and listens to the urgings coming from those working in the third and social sectors, it is possible to achieve great results.”
“Supporting the project “the year to come,” implemented by the Community of Sant’Egidio,” said Remo Taricani (UniCredit, pictured), “means sharing a vision of social change that puts people at the center, offering solutions that foster inclusion and improve the lives of communities, starting with the most fragile ones. The innovation that the Third Sector is leading is not only digital but is based first and foremost on a new relationship between community actors that sees volunteering as a key lever. Support for the Third Sector is in fact a priority issue for us, which has seen in the latest initiative recently promoted by ‘UniCredit for Italyà, 10 billion of additional credit, of which 500 million euros are dedicated to third sector entities, through forms of financing calibrated to the specific needs of nonprofits and social enterprises. In addition to financial support are dedicated services, such as Ethical Card funds for the development of social projects accumulated through the use of ethical credit cards by our customers; without any charge to them, the bank sets aside 2 per thousand of transactions to support solidarity projects. Since 2005, the year the project was activated, UniCredit’s Ethical Card Fund has supported more than 1,350 projects throughout Italy, allocating more than 41 million euros to initiatives supporting socially beneficial projects.”
“I congratulate you on this happy collaboration, which helps so many families to start again,” Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, said – in connection from Bologna. “Life is always restarting. But doing so requires time, knowledge and support,” he concluded.
“Institutions alone are not able to listen to all citizens, and that is why collaboration among different actors is necessary,” noted Deputy Minister Maria Teresa Bellucci, recalling Article 118 of the Constitution, which calls on institutions to foster “the autonomous initiative of citizens” in pursuit of the common good.
“Since the pandemic, the social spending of municipalities has increased, but substantial gaps remain between different regions and between territories within the same region,” said Cnel Secretary General Massimiliano Monnanni, reiterating the importance of intermediate bodies for the resilience of the Italian social fabric.
– UniCredit press office photo –
(ITALPRESS).
