NOTE: EVERY HUMANITARIAN ACTION WE CARRY OUT NEVER COSTS A DIME MORE THAN ITS REAL COST. NOBODY GETS PAID TO ORGANIZE AND COORDINATE. THERE ARE NO OFFICES FOR THAT AND RELATIVE EXPENSES.  THE TIMING OF THE HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTIONS DEPENDS ON THE ARRIVAL OF THE DRY SEASON ON THE FARMS WHICH MEANS LESS WORK TO DO. THOSE WHO HAVE THEIR HANDS ON THE JOB ARE ON SOPADA PAYROLL  AND THEIR CARRY OUT THEIR DUTIES WILLINGLY. THIS IS WHY WHAT HAS BEEN DONE UP TILL NOW HAS HAD VERY LOW EXPENSES AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ESTIMATES AND ACTUAL  COSTS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ZERO (0). BY CHOICE, WE WILL ALWAYS MAKE SURE  WE CONTINUE THIS WAY: LITTLE INTERVENTIONS  BUT TRANSPARENCY IN COSTS!  WE WILL NEVER ACCEPT MONETARY DONATIONS BEFORE HAVING NEW PROJECTS AT HAND  WITH CERTAINS ESTIMATES TO PLACE UNDER YOUR EXAMINTAION.

When we started all the land preparation processes we were totally carried away to understand the typical problems of those rural areas . quite soon though, we realized that no child went to school. Parents  made it clear that they  lacked the resources necessary  to send them to nearest school (located in the Penesselou village which is 7km away and ha both primary and secondary schools). Thanks to our projects though these parents could earn enough to support their children’s education by working on the farms. 

The amazing thing is that finally between 2014 and 2015these parents built four(4)  local schools for their 200 children.  Rudimental structures made out of tree trunks as school desks. We SOPADA volunteers  provided the missing school materials. In 2015, during the official opening ceremony,  we donated a school kit to every child comprising of an exercise book, two pens of different colours, coloured pencils in a raffia bag.

From a survey carried out by Andrea, in November 2015 came the urge to equip these 4 schools with real desks and chairs. Many of our Italian friends on Facebook  outdo one another in solidarity and by Christmas we already had the first 24 desks , each for 2 children in heavy wood with a flat surface a locker under and a bench all conjoined. We estimated that 48 desks cover the needs of 196 children who go to school on two different shifts. In January 2106 with an official ceremony in the presence of local civil and religious  authorities  from three  main religions present in the land (Islam, Christianity an Traditional animism), SOPADA’s reps  ,with Damiano,  the desks were handed over to the children to give a new found dignity to our young children.

Since yesterday Miracle, a 16-year-old disabled boy has his own "tricycle" which makes him fully independent in his travels. Unfortunately, he is a bit behind with the school because of his mobility problem. His legs do not support him from birth. Yet he is an intelligent, lively and full of ambition boy. So he will try to complete his compulsory school cycle. But his secret dream is to learn the craft of a shoemaker. We certainly know that he would have the skills. But the professional course for learning has a cost and he should remain for the entire duration in a boarding school where a small amount is required for room and board. We will see. For now we are content to have given him this fundamental tool together with a sum for his sister, who takes care of him. With that amount, products that can be easily sold on the market were purchased wholesale, which therefore represent the start of a new source of livelihood, given that Miracle's two parents died. We brought the tricycle, with arm advancement, directly to the home of the boy who was anxiously waiting for us. What moved us most was the joy of him together with that of his sister and nephew who even seemed jealous of the new “little gem” destined for his uncle. We thought we would find a sad boy, as is often expected of a disabled person in the common imagination, but instead we found ourselves in front of a joyful, nice and above all loved boy. I think what he lacked was just a little autonomy, although, the social worker Jovinca told us, he is full of initiative, he juggles everything well. He is able to help the family even by drawing water from the well. A true force of nature! His first tests on the tricycle see him a bit awkward, but soon he will already have full mastery of the vehicle. Getting to know him was a touching but joyful experience at the same time. As were the moments lived with him during the delivery together with his sister, nephew, Jovinca and Sylvestre, Paola and myself (as SOPADA representatives). This is the first of three tricycles that will be delivered next week. Yesterday's event was made possible thanks to Carlo Prandi who financed this project and whom we sincerely thank on behalf of SOPADA and especially MIRACLE. (Google translated)

#aiutiamoliacasalorodavvero

 It is the fourth consecutive year that we have succeeded in our intent to accompany the 24 orphaned children of Penissolou on their school path, who continue to attend school with enthusiasm and profit. We are extremely proud to have been able to keep faith with our commitment which, we reiterate it, is to satisfy the desire of these young people to continue until the achievement of a diploma and eventually complete it with a degree for the most deserving. the real food that is needed in Africa today is the culture that makes them more aware and more able to manage their own future without being affected by external influences.

The donors who have made this possible are: MARZIA CONTI, BARBARA BENASSI, VASCO ASCOLINI, OLIVIERI SERRI ANNA, LUCA LASAGNI AND VERONICA ABBATE, ANDREA AND PAOLA.

The novelty of this year is that we have also managed to guarantee school supplies for another 28 orphaned children in a southern school, in a district of Ouidah, in Zongbodji thanks to an important donation of pumps from XFORM company of Reggio Emilia donated to us and that we partly sold to finance this project. In addition to this donation, others from private parties have been added that we like to mention:

Luigi Dalla Porta, Annamaria Lorenzini and husband, Anna Barbieri and husband and Serenella Tozzi. A warm thanks goes to my friend Ramos Voudunon and to his brother Elisée who replaced me in the delivery since I was fighting my battle with the covid at that time.

oogleIn a very festive atmosphere, a quadrangular football organized by SOPADA took place in Penissoulou. We used it as a pretext not only to give the village a moment of festive joy, but also to thank Simonetta Soncini who acted as an intermediary for ASD PROGETTO INTESA ALL CAMP who donated football shirts and shorts that had only been used a few times. from their teams in the province of Reggio Emilia. While we were there, we took the opportunity to buy a real regulation ball in leather. What seems very small to us is experienced with enthusiasm here. In this regard, we have set ourselves a goal: to organize in the not too distant future a real tournament between the various villages that are located in the municipality of Bassila, complete with cups and trophies. This event, which will be repeated every year and will be called "Sopada Trophy". Who knows that from that dusty field someone can take the "flight" to other distant fields? (Google translated)

Also this year it was possible to provide a scholarship to the orphaned schoolchildren of the village of Penessolu. However, they live in families - often those of their grandparents - who welcomed them but who, living in poverty, could not afford to send them to school. The handover ceremony took place in the presence of the local authorities, the teachers, the children of Sopada and the representatives of the families. There are 24 children who started their school with enthusiasm and dedication a few years ago, proving that investing in education and culture where the soil is fertile pays off in the long run. They will be the ruling class of tomorrow, of an Africa that will be able to fight global challenges on an equal footing. With the help of our Italian friends we were able to guarantee the expenses necessary for attending school courses. With the sum collected we provided a kit including books, notebooks, pencils, colored markers, compass, ruler, square, protractor, the blackboard with its colored chalk. In addition, school fees have been paid and we have also given them a figure that will be used for the daily snack. This year, compared to last year, we have saved on the budget, as many of them did not need a new kit that we had already provided a year ago. Only a few have crumpled or worn it and we needed to replace it. In fact, 50 euros are left over. Another € 100 was added later and will remain available for future initiatives on the spot promoted by Sopada and which we will promptly report to you. As you can see, not a single euro is wasted and once again the estimate is not disregarded. I apologize for the quality of the photos which is not very high, on the other hand the means available to the Sopada boys are what they are! I remember the list of benefactors that I list below:

• Marzia Conti and Barbara Benassi
• Roberta Immovilli
• Antonio Chinnici
• Anna Maria Lorenzini and Paterlini Learco
• Carlo Prandi
• Vasco Ascolini
• Veronica and Luca Lasagni on the occasion of the baptism of little Damiano
• Corrado Askerz

A warm THANK YOU to everyone!            (Google translate)

This afternoon at the "maison de la jeunesse" in Penessolou (Benin) scholarships were awarded, for the second year, to the 24 orphans of the village. Local authorities were not lacking (the head of the village, the school director, the members of Sopada), the children receiving the aid and their relatives, mostly grandparents or uncles. In fact, we want to remember that there are no orphanages and it is only thanks to relatives who can live in the warmth of a family. Unfortunately they are all more or less destitute and it is only thanks to the generosity of Sopada and the Italian supporters who can attend school. We have it from kindergarten to adolescence. One of them is already an apprentice and is learning a manual trade. This year we decided to give the children a school kit made up of numerous notebooks of various types, 4 ballpoint pens in two colors, chalkboards for the blackboards, sponge for erasing, colored markers, compasses, glue and paper to cover books and notebooks and the fabric to make the uniform. In addition, an envelope with a figure that will be used by the tailor to tailor the uniform of each schoolboy. This choice is given by the risk that by giving only money, these are then used for purposes that are not exactly relevant to teaching, with the risk that some children may leave the school due to lack of material. At the end of the delivery ceremony, large distribution of clothes for everyone, just arrived by ship from Italy. As expected we did not receive from the offers the total amount that was needed of € 850, but only € 690, but as previously stated we anticipated the difference. If you want to participate, you will know that they will be for the purpose which, I repeat, is already a reality. you will find the bank details on the contact page. A very big thank you to the family of Remigio Paterlini, to the family Barbara Abbate and Emanuele Gallo and to Corrado Askerz. (Google translate)

A nurse from the small hospital in Penessolou informed us that the beds, very simple with a foam rubber mattress, were not equipped with sheets. We didn't have time to submit to our Italian friends who are following us for a subscription, so without wasting time we bought 60 meters of excellent white cotton fabric and gave the job to a local tailor to make 24 sheets. The villagers then organized a nice party with all the hospital operators, the village chief and some religious authorities, for the delivery of the sheets. Each authority expressed its thanks in turn, arousing not a few moments of emotion. For us it's just a small gesture. For them it's a huge thing. It is true that the things that are obvious for us, are often not even conceivable for them! It was a wonderful moment of sharing. On this occasion we also made a commitment to build a new pavilion to increase the number of beds. We hope this will soon become reality. (Google translate)

I managed to get to Pénessoulou - the village in the center / north of BENIN - where the S.O.P.A.D.A. founded by Andrea Puglisi, from me and from Alidou, from Benin - before evening ... so as to immediately visit the small public health facility that here is called "DISPENSAIRE" ..

We choose as the "venue" of the interventions the room on the right in the photo, used for Vaccinations. It's perfect for me, it just needs to be cleaned up and equipped.

And so the next day I, Alidou and his brothers

we begin to prepare the work environment ....

We need to prepare all the "tools of the trade" in an ergonomic way, so that I can easily

identify them and take them as needed; and special trays filled with liquid that disinfect the instruments cold, without the need for heat, in which to place them once used!

I prepare a liter of disinfectant in the bottle of water ... in which I dissolve a special powder that I brought from home. The spittoon is a plastic bin .. and it is very important because we do not have the vacuum cleaner. But I also have a lot of cotton slugs prepared as a swab.

I receive a visit from the young chief of the village

The Doctor who directs the dispensary is of great help to me in preparing the "work camp" ... then together we go to visit the patients who have been waiting for hours for hours ... to do

a first visit and establish WHO between them has an ongoing infection and therefore must take an antibiotic before performing the extraction.

I also explain that I will not be able to solve all the problems, nor perform fillings! I can only perform extractions that are causing abscesses and cutaneous fistulas with pus output!

Initially everyone, doctor and nurse of the dispensary, come to assist intrigued ..

Then only one is left!

Almost always a patient has more than one draw to do.

often asks to make 3 or 4 ... to a gentleman I removed 10 teeth (!!) leaving him toothless!

but in the end he thanked me happy !!

Even the only nurse I had disappears (they have their patients to do) and so

I get help from the dispensary director, then he too disappears and I'm alone!

Thus "I promote in the field" the brother of Alidou - Akim - who had already shown himself much more alert and alert than the nurses!

What you can NOT appreciate in the photos ... is the great difficulty of working in those conditions. Extracting a lower arch molar with the patient lying down is not only an ergonomic absurdity, but forces you to work for hours in a position that splits your back !!

If to all this add the heat, the sweat of the patients, the flies and the fact that within a whole day I was not offered a single glass of water, we can partly explain the great difficulty of working in conditions which are NOT normal.

Another aspect is that of the "extreme technical difficulty" in performing certain drawings! Africans - men in particular - are very strong, with a powerful and tall physique. And they have equally strong and long "dental roots". Add the fact that the outside of the tooth has been carious and soft for a long time, you often don't know which way to vote for you! You do not have the appropriate means to do so !!

(the tooth goes to pieces as soon as you touch it) But the patient has pain and expects you to solve his problem! Then you start the draw but soon you realize that you can't do it. So? Do you send it away after half an hour, sometimes an hour of attempts (with 15 people still to do ..) and the roots still inside ?? NO!! it is your reputation and the great trust that everyone places in you!

And so an initiated patient must be finished! Even if it takes an hour! Some interventions have been long and difficult. Akim, who is a farmer by profession, immediately understands what and how he must do to help me !!

While I perform these difficult interventions, even a nurse comes to look around while nursing her baby! We are all exhausted !! But, despite the temptation to interrupt some extraction and leave "inside" fragments of the root, we have completed ALL the interventions ... and finished ALL the patients arrived ... even those who had not put themselves on the list reaching the last moment!!

We finished that it was 19.00, that is almost evening. Tired .. but very satisfied !!

The SOPADA Team was rightly proud of the organization set up ... but above all happy to have given a "concrete" demonstration of what it means "to help Africans in their home" that is to help them live in better conditions on their land, between their own people, with their own culture and traditions so that however modest they may be, they are always very decents !!!

Dignity that is completely lost when they live as illegal immigrants ... immigrants in a land and a culture that does not belong to them !! So: few words and many facts ... concrete actions !!

I would like to ask the many who defend an immigration that Africans detest (!) To those who are only moved by "words" in the face of the tragedies it causes, if they have ever done something really concrete for them!

I would like to ask if they ever smelled the blood mixed with their sweat !!

If you have ever wondered if there is more DIGNITY in a refugee camp or in the village of an African farmer who lives without cars, TV sets and fashionable clothes but with slow and calm rhythms in his house of straw and mud, cultivating a small plot of land that gives him food to live, with his wife and children nearby and the elderly parent sitting on the door and in which the only noise you hear is the bleating of the newborn kid.

And, finally, a small gesture - always organized by the NGO SOPADA - completed the next day before leaving Benin: the distribution of a large quantity of clothes arrived by container from Europe, a gift from our Italian friends. (Google translate)

Every year the district of PENESSOULOU organizes a week of congresses that brings together its sons and daughters. These are the great moments of meeting between families, parents, friends etc ... after several months of absence from the respective villages. On this occasion, a uniform is worn for the entire population without difference in age or sex, as can be seen in the published images. It is normal that there are people who feel isolated simply because they are not in the possibility of having this uniform. This is how the NGO SOPADA, having noticed this, allowed the 24 orphans, thanks to the sum that was advanced, to share this annual joy in the same way as all the others with a sum of 210,000 FCFA / 320 €. Thanks to the NGO staff, the two godmothers of the 24 orphans received their share of fabric and the money needed to make the uniforms. The beneficiaries' surprise was great. They therefore express their gratitude with the following message:

"Long live the NGO SOPADA and the Italian benefactors who always come to give us joy, they give us a smile every time we are immersed in sadness. May God bless you and give you back everything you gave us a hundred times! "

Well, it is certain that what is done in their favor requires nothing in return, but it is good to hear this beautiful sentence of gratitude. What seems a small thing to us, it looks great to them! This helps us to reflect. In the photos you can see a part of those children and some moments of the congress. (Google translate)

On Saturday 8 December, in the municipality of Penessolou (Benin), 24 orphans of primary and secondary schools were gathered for the awarding of scholarships for which we collected funds starting from last October. In the photos you can see the guys who show the envelopes containing the amount needed to pay for school fees for the current year. In a photo you can also see some children showing the photo of Luca Lasagni with the little Leonardo who, on the occasion of his baptism together with his wife Veronica Abbate, wanted to allocate a figure for the purpose. Among the many donors we like to mention a few: Vasco Ascolini, Antonio Chinnici, Andrea Guidetti and Lara Munari, Corrado Askerz, Elena Borciani and others who have expressed the desire to remain anonymous. Thanks to all those who once again responded generously, surpassing the figure that served the purpose. Precisely for this reason, the collection on this project remains in place until August next year when we prepare another sum to continue to accompany these poor but deserving children in their schooling.  (Google translate)

Given the many difficulties and gaps in teaching and schooling in Benin schools in particular and in Africa in general, the NGO SoPADA, after public primary schools, extends its good social and humanitarian actions to secondary schools

(CEG) of the departments of the Republic of BENIN. To contribute to the improvement and development of the educational system and to the level of teachers and students, the SoPADA NGO has set itself the following objectives:

- Create reading days for schoolchildren, students, teachers and reading enthusiasts creating reading clubs;

- Create a traveling library to start benefiting all the reading clubs of the DONGA department;

- Provide the Pénessoulou CEG library;

- Participate in strengthening the skills of teachers and students by providing them with new generation educational texts;

- select children in difficult situations;

- Provide every year material and financial support in the form of scholarships to deserving members of the DONGA department. Therefore, on 15/10/2018 133 books were handed over to PENESSOULOU CEG and 2 other scientific series "LABEL INFO" for classes 3 and Terminal.   (Google translate)

SoPada continues its commitment to schooling in rural areas of the Donga region. We got to know the reality of 24 orphaned children from the village of Penessolou who, despite being deserving, have great difficulty in supporting expenses for attending school courses. We gave them, in September, part of the clothes we had sent from Italy in May and we promised that with the help of SoPada's friends we would have provided for school fees. This is why on October 4th we published on Facebook the goal we set ourselves.

The cost of one school year for each child amounts to € 34.11, divided as follows:

- School fees € 5.35

- Supplies (pens, notebooks, books) and uniform € 10.00

- Snack € 15,26

- Various events (small school holidays) € 3.50

The total sum calculated for the 24 children is € 818.64 which we will try to collect before Christmas. Anyone interested in contributing to the project can pay their offer by bank transfer to:

Puglisi Andrea
IBAN IT95 D063 8512 8101 0000 0002 184
Reason: Orphans Scholarship of Penessolou

NGO SOPADA
Bank of Africa
Account 003283710001
Swift / Bic: AFRIBJBJXXX
Causal: Bourse d'études orphelins de Penessolou

A big thank you to all those who want to contribute to the realization of the project.   (Google translate)

Sunday on 24 June 2018
Many Italian friends in these last months, have delivered goods of various kinds, very useful to the inhabitants of our rural villages. Among these aids we have mainly sent children's clothes and shoes, T-shirts, caps, training suits and safety shoes for our farmers. We therefore took advantage to send also some equipment for the farm. A lady gave us a beautiful laser copying machine that we will use in the Sopada office. The goods will travel by sea in a container that will arrive at the beginning of August 2018. many thanks to the company Speroni s.p.a., to Laura Iotti,  Mrs. Sanna,  Silvia Agosti and  Simonetta Soncini. (Google translation)

In a festive atmosphere, in the presence of the children, teachers, civil and religious authorities of the three main religions (Christians, Muslims and Animists), the new toilets, tables and chairs for the Bodì Nursery School have been officially handed over. This is the ninth intervention SOPADA performs in favor of the rural schools of the Donga region. We believe that culture, through schools, is the driving force for the development of new generations who will have the responsibility to compete with global economies. (Google translation)

Friday 9 February 2018.

With the proceeds of the market organized on 6 December 2017 by the 5D students of Cadelbosco Sopra (Reggio Emilia - Italy), the school books of the various subjects covered by the ministerial program for primary schools in Benin were purchased. The delivery took place in a festive atmosphere, as often happens in African villages, in the presence of scholastic, institutional and religious authorities. The textbooks were delivered directly by the representatives of the NGO Sopada. On that occasion the children attending the school of Boli Boli proudly exhibited the drawings that the same homologues of the Italian primaries had prepared for them, as a sign of association and closeness, which was consolidated with this new gesture of generosity. (Google translation)

On friday 22nd september, at the Nagailé village, not so far from Penessolou (Bassila, Benin) the ceremony to hand over the toilets to the nursery school was held ia a festive atmosphere and joyful presence of the children, true protagonists and users of the new infrastructure. Parents, teachers, local school headmaster, Penessolou mayor, rappresentatives of local religious communities, SoPada delegation with  its president Mamouda Alidou and Italian rappresentatives Andrea Puglisi and Paola Brunazzi.

After the speeches by various authorities, the children symbolically handed over the keys to Paola Brunazzi who stood in for all Italians whose contributions helped  make this a reality. Paola in turn handed the keys to the mayor who opened the door for the first time. With the money donated, we werw able to built two showers by the toilets to improve the personal hygiene of those children who do not always have access to water in their homes.

with this recently concluded project, the number of villages we have helped to make big steps toward better education right from early choldhood has risen to 8. We would like to remember a phrase by Penessolou mayor  during the ceremony while addressing the parents who chose to give their children a shot at education.

"I THANK YOU FOR THE COURAGE YOU'VE SHOWN BY SENDING YOUR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU HAVE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE IS NO FUTURE WITHOUT EDUCATION".

In western countries, education is an obligation, in 3rd world countries a great opportunity to train the ruling class will make Africa a dynamic continent.

By the end of the school year in Italy, the primary 4 pupils of Cadelbosco Sopra elementary school had special thoughts toward their counterparts far away in Benin with whom they had tied a bound during the Christmas Holidays.  This was possible through pen friendship and above all through wonderful drawings of which we share previews, but which will be handed over the children in Benin, this September.

We wish to remind that these pupils gave up their Chrismas party in order to send an amount of money to Benin for the supply of notebooks and pens for all 200 pupils (article and pictures in this page). The contents of the letters and drawings induce as adults, given the times we live in, to reflect on issues of fundumental importance. Our opinion, which is also our mission, is that conditions should be created to ensure that every single person lives a dignified life in his/her homeland. We believe, unlike many western politicians who derive joi in taking advantage of certain phenomenons, that in most cases the resource to create these condition abound. These pictures show two letters written by the pupils in Benin to those in Cadelbosco (Italy), the drawings and letters by the pupils of Cadelbosco to their African counterparts.

Below, we list, with all pleasure, the authors of the drowings addressed to the pupils in Benin and thank them.

They are: Gabriele, Matilde, Hamed, Alice, Nazar, Giovanni, Giulia, Sofia, Davide, Federica, Noemi, Arianna, David, Sabrina, Shuian, Sofia, Simone, Mattia, Thomas, Mushan, Jennifer, Francois, Mattia, and otherwho didn't sign their drawing but whom we equally appreciate.

On wednesday, 29th march the NGO SoPada collaborators, in the presence of local authorities, nursery school operators and rappresentatives of local religious communities (Christian, Muslim and traditionalist), handed over 28 seats and chairs in havy wood which the school was previously lacking, forcing the pupils to sit on the floor during lessons.

This operation was a success thanks to the generosity of Federico Bertani's parents, Annamaria and Stefano, who on this birthday raised an amount of money for the cause. The parents of Letizia Gallo, Barbara and Emanuele who also donated a sum to mark her Baptism. Gina Bianchin as usual contribued to their gestures with her own donation.

The local carpenters guaranteed skilled creftsmanship without exceeding the budget and just in time.

On Saturday, December 17 the primary 4(four)  pupils of the Cadelbosco Sopra (RE - Italy) elementary school presented Andrea and Paola with 162,00€ (Euros) and four letters. One from each primary 4 (four) section, addressed to the pupils of the four rural primary schools in the villages of Boli-Boli, Ouli, Tchélé and Bogamana.

On the last day before school closure for the Christmas/ New Year break, , in the presence of teachers, school headmaster, village chiefs , during an official ceremony SOPADA collaborators handed over 400 exercise books, new ballpoint pens and pencils for all.

The pictures describe the event and the enthusiasm of the children who in returned desired to show gratitude to their Italian peers by through letters…

Following the improvements we brought to the rural schools, three teachers of the Penesselou nursery school asked for our help to numerically adjust school equipment and make  clean and portable water available to the children in the school complex for their personal hygiene. We know the hygiene issue is fundamental in the prevention of diseases that could easily cause death. We take the issue to heart and we try carry along our Italian friends who let us feel their presence through Facebook tam-tam.  In less than two months we dug a well exclusively for the school’s usage and 60 chairs and 15 desks in massive African wood. Before the incredulous eyes of the local community and authorities a heartwarming ceremony took place took place to hand over the new infrastructure to the new beneficiaries.