Amici del Mondo World Friends Onlus is an independent Italian non-profit association of social utility for
international cooperation
In international relations, multilateralism refers to an alliance of multiple countries pursuing a common goal.
Definitions
Multilateralism, in the form of membership in international institutions, serves to bind powerful nations, discourage u ...
World Friends is a Non-Governmental Organization recognized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Law no. 125 of 2014 updated to July 16, 2016, registered in the register of ONLUS and the Register of Legal Persons D.P.R. 361. Recognized by the Government of
Kenya
)
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as a
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
(NGO), in 2011 obtained the same accreditation at the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ( it, Ministero degli affari esteri e della cooperazione internazionale or ''MAECI'') is the foreign ministry of the government of the Italian Republic. It is also known as the Farnesin ...
. Established in 2001, the association has its head offices in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and has volunteer-based regional offices in
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
,
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
,
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
(man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman)
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Veneto
Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
,
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
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,
Lazio
it, Laziale
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,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
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, demographi ...
. The association's African office is based in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
.
Aims and values
The aim of World Friends is to contribute to the achievement of the principles established in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...
in all parts of the world, giving priority to fundamental rights for
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
, housing and
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
. World Friends’ actions at present are focused on the African continent and their final goal is to improve health, social and educational conditions in the most disadvantaged populations. Every action taken responds to actual needs and to a specific request from the local communities, and is undertaken with their full collaboration.
For this reason, the World Friends’ operative centre has taken the decision to live and work in the city of Nairobi in Kenya so as to assimilate better into the social structure of the area and be able to act as spokesman for the local communities.
History
World Friends began from an initiative of Gianfranco Morino, a medical doctor with more than 35 years’ experience in Africa. After having collaborated for a number of years on projects with the Italian Cooperation for Development, in 1991 he took on responsibility with the Programme for Health Prevention and Education in the nomadic area of
Sololo
Sololo is a small town in Kenya's former Eastern Province, now part of Marsabit County. It is the 4th largest urban centre in Marsabit County with a population of 5,104.
Sololo is located on the Moyale-Sololo escarpment which has semi-arid clima ...
,
North Kenya, collaborating with the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integratio ...
. Following work with the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, in 1994 he began to work in health prevention and education in the
shanty towns of
Korogocho and
Mathare in Nairobi. In 2002 he then took over the direction of the Department of
Surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
at Mbagathi Hospital, still in the Kenyan capital, being the only European to work in a state-run hospital.
In 2001, together with a group of friends and collaborators, all convinced of the need for an association to be created in Africa itself, Morino established "World Friends - Amici del mondo". The central idea was that of an organization that could properly integrate with the reality of the local population, not being thousands of miles away, and able to carry out projects deriving from the concrete needs of these populations. To respond to that need, World Friends has over the years prioritized the use of local personnel, relying minimally on the services of expatriate personnel.
Projects
The objective of all World Friends projects is to promote health, education and social development of the most disadvantaged populations in the south of the world. World Friends is active in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia, meeting the needs of the local populations and with their full involvement. The ultimate goal remains to encourage self-sufficiency in the communities where the Association works, and it is for this reason that World Friends makes use above all of local personnel for its activities in Africa, contributing to their professional training.
An example of World Friends approach is the construction of the Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital, a multi-functioning health centre opened by World Friends in November 200
Inauguration of R.U. Neema Hospital Situated near to the shanty towns of Nairobi the hospital treats more than 10,000 patients per month, thanks to a staff composed of 99% local personnel. The Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital dedicated not only to the treatment of the poorest sector of the population but also to the training of local medical personnel. This action will go on further to consolidate the work carried out by World Friends at the Mbagathi Hospital and at the surgeries located in the Nairobi shanty towns. In addition to health assistance, World Friends workers carry out action in the field of health prevention and education, above all to combat the spread of the
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
virus.
Services offered by the hospital: General clinic and Maternal-Infant Clinic with vaccination services, gynecology and pediatrics; Maternity Department with operating theatre; Diagnostics Centre offering laboratory tests, radiography and echography. Accident & Emergency, minor surgery and day hospital; HIV tests and treatments; Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy; Pharmacy; Ambulance service; Centre for Professional Training; Pediatrics Department.
Since its inception in 2001, the association has focused its plan of action on achieving the eight
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...
, approved by the 193 member States of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
for world development, to be achieved within 2015. Today, the new challenge are the
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
to which all countries are called upon to contribute to bringing the world to a global, economic and social sustainability path without distinction Between South and North.
Our new goal is therefore the 2030: World Friends will not only continue to work against poverty in the South of the planet, expanding its collaboration with other communities in Africa and Latin America, but will also bring programs and experience in the suburbs of the North of the World, where injustice, inequality and the lack of rights are increasingly accentuated.
Context
World Friends works mainly in the sub-saharian countries of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, such as
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
and
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
.
The projects of World Friends are mainly focused on populations in the shantytowns in the north - east area of Nairobi (Korogocho, Kariobangi, Babadogo, Mathare Valley - Eastleigh, Huruma, Kahawa, Soweto).around 700,000 people, half of whom are under 15 years of age.
The beneficiaries of World Friends’ projects come from backgrounds marked by
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
,
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...
,
criminality
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
,
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
, the precariousness of housing and work,
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
, diseases. The health problems found by the health workers of World Friends are innumerable:
gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydra ...
and severe
respiratory diseases
Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, br ...
, especially in children; a permanent status of
malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
and the presence of
typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
and
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
. Tuberculosis is in
evident recrudescence; the number of children with physical
handicaps is high. The diagnosis of ailments requiring surgery and the incidence of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
– the latter showing a clear increase – is often delayed due to the intrinsic inefficiencies of the
health systems
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
in African countries. The lack of specialist services for diagnosis and treatment accessible to the poor worsens the outcomes of traumas and burns, very frequent among children, often causing permanent disabilities in a context where physical integrity is linked to the survival of the individual. The transmission of
sexual diseases is very widespread, AIDS in particular being a
very real scourge.
Regarding trends for the rest of the city and for the country, access to reproductive health services in the Nairobi slums is minimal: only 15% of the health structures present provide basic
obstetrical assistance and only 35% of the births are assisted by qualified personnel.
Maternal mortality
Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined in slightly different ways by several different health organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a pregnant mother due to complications related to pre ...
in the shanty towns (590 mothers per 100,000 births in 1998)
is higher than in any other region in Kenya. The
infant mortality
Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
rate under 5 years of age (1,565 deaths for every 1000 babies, equal to 15.6%) is higher than that of any other urban settlement in Kenya. Lastly, because the incidence off AIDS is decreasing at the National level, in the Nairobi slums adolescents and women are still strongly vulnerable, with 37% of women between 20 and 24 years of age resulting positive to the infection.
[
]
Networks
World Friends works in collaboration with many other bodies in Italian and international cooperation: CONCORD Italia Platform, Italian Observatory for Global Action against AIDS, Global Health Center of the Tuscany Region,
Since 2016 World Friends is a member of LINK 2007, one of the three main networks representing NGOs nationwide.
World Friends is part of regional networks that unite profit and non-profit realities, public bodies, universities and experts, thanks to the activities of local offices and volunteers. These realities work to systemize and strengthen local activities of international cooperation, the development of territorial cooperation and awareness raising in Italy. The most active are the Tuscan Forum for International Activities, the Coordination of Piedmont NGOs, the Janua Forum, the Ligurian Network for the Promotion of International Activities.
Nairobi's headquarters and association projects are constantly a place to visit by delegations from various organizations and by volunteers, interns and practitioners. World Friends is a member of several networks including: Hennet - Health NGOs Network, a NGO consortium and Kenyan and international institutions operating in Kenya in the field of healthcare; Action for Children with Disabilities (ACD), Nairobi Child Protection Network (NCPT), Elimu Yetu, Kasarani Genver-Based Violence Forum.
Partners
In addition to the realities involved in the projects at local level in Italy and in Africa, World Friends’ main partners are the following:
*Africa Rafiki
*Caritas Antoniana
*Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli
* Fondazione Ivo de Carneri
*APHRC
*European Commission
*Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
*Rome Municipality
*Regione Toscana and ASL 7
*Medici per la Pace di Verona
*Oxfam Italia
*Fondazione Engera
*Department for Youth Policies and Sporting Activities
*Cuore Amico Foundation (Brescia)
*International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC) - (United States)
*Trentino, Autonomous Province of Trento
*Piedmonte Region
*Università Campus Bio-Medico
*Università Bocconi
*Università Cattolica di Milano
*University College of Utrecht
*Università degli Studi di Siena
*LUMSA
*Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi, Archdiocese of Nairobi
*Kajiado County Hospital
*Ngong Sub-County Hospital
*Urafiki Centre Foundation
*Zam Zam Medical Services
*Kenya Ministry of Health
*Nairobi and Kajiado Regional Health Departments
*Ministry of Education of Kenya
*Municipal Department of Education (Nairobi)
*Children's Department
*Ministry of Children, equal opportunities and social development of Kenya
*ACREF (African Cultural Research and Education Foundation)
*Kariobangi Parish
*African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC)
*KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute)
*Slum Film Festival CBO
*The Action Foundation
*AAR Beckmann Trust
*Wings of Compassion
*WRAP
*Special Education Professionals (SEP)
*German Doctors Nairobi
*Redeemed Gospel Church Health Centre
*Mwangaza Ulio na Tumaini Health Centre
*Provide International
*National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK)
*St. Joseph Mukasa Health Centre
*Cordis Mariae Health Centre
*Karibu Afrika Kenya
*Slum Dunk Onlus
*SafeCare (PharmAccess Foundation)
*Health-E-Net
*Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM)
*Kenya Pediatric Association (KPA).
External links
Amici del Mondo World Friends Onlus
official site
Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital
official site
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amici Del Mondo World Friends Onlus
Charities based in Italy
Health charities based in Italy
Human rights organisations based in Kenya
Foreign charities operating in Kenya
Organizations established in 2001