WE MADE: YEAR 2011

1: The completion of the St. Justin Youth Center in Hebo
2: The Hebo’s Orphanage
3: The “ hygienic Presidium project.
4: Other various activities

1: The completion of the St. Justin Youth Center in Hebo
A regular basketball court has been built aside the main structure of the youth Center. Alternatively it can be used also as volleyball court.

To implement the cultural activities of the Youth Center has been added to the computer room an home video system to project by DVD pictures, documentaries, sport events. For the purpose have been also supplied 40 DVD.
Finally to complete the infrastructures it is now operative the toilet building. Nine WC for men, nine WC for women, plus a couple of showers in each sector.
The toilets are also at the disposal of the Hebo’s community and for the pilgrims visiting the St. Justin Sanctuary. An important step to have the people learning a better hygiene.






2: The Hebo’s Orphanage

As we are doing since several years we sent in two lots 1.000 boxes of baby’s powder milk. The supply shall almost cover the 2012 demand.
In the orphanage are leaving today 40 babies. The age of the most of the babies is below one year and this is why 75% of the milk powder is for babies up to one year old.
At last we helped solving a critical to the sewage pits by sending and installing a submerged grinding-pump.




3: The “hygienic Presidium project.

WE MADE: YEAR 2008-2010:
The Saint Justin Youth Center in Hebo
 

• The reasons why: in 2008 the Vincentian Fathers submitted us the project of a Youth Center at the Parish of the Sanctuary of Saint Justin de Jacobis in Hebo. The idea was to create a reference center and a meeting point for ther youths, regardless their religious believes, as all live in an isolated ancestral agricultural area with basically no contacts with the reality of the world.

• The project in its final version: the Youth Centre is a single building of about 600 m2 including a lounge, library/computer room and classrooms. 

It was their day. The procession moved to the entrance of the building where Franco had the pleasure to cut the traditional ribbon.

After many speeches, Franco Silvana and Laura shared a banquet and traditional dances with the whole community.

• The financing of the project
The whole project cost amounted to € 192,000, well within the budget of the project. AMO managed to complete the financing in 2009 with a direct contribution of € 112,000 plus a great contribution of € 70,000 ($ 99,000) made by the Vincentian Solidarity Office in Philadelphia.
A form of cooperation that has proved its effectiveness.

The Famine Emergency in Eritrea
Introductory note: we have intentionally avoided to report details about how it worked in Eritrea, to ensure the safety of those who actively work at their own personal risk to fight famine. We look forward to verbally give all the information directly to those who want to get in touch with us. For the same reason and to respect who is suffering we do not show any picture.

How the project born and developed
In March 2009 we received an appeal that the situation was becoming increasingly critical in certain areas of the country where famine was already the everyday problem. AMO sent money that could be directly used to purchase and distribute food. Historical, political and meteorological reasons of the famine are certainly of interest to be analyzed but do not help people and their immediate needs. The people of Eritrea were starving and cannot wait that the local authorities and the international humanitarian organizations in charge take an unacceptable time to discuss and agree the course of action
To start helping AMO donated € 10.000, almost all the cash of the association at the time.
Foreseeing then that the emergency situation was to continue AMO planned to dedicate all 2010 donations coming from USA to the famine emergency.
Unfortunately we were right and in February 2010 AMO received a new dramatic appeal about a situation far more serious than expected. This appeal crossed with the transfer of $ 30,600 raised up in USA; but even though the donation was exceptionally timely it was not enough. A new fundraising campaign was launched: friends and acquaintances answered generously, shortly $ 3.000 and € 25.000 were collected and sent.
In April 2010 Franco, Silvana and Laura visited Eritrea and verified how the money had been used even though a visit to the most critical areas was stricktly forbidden by the authorities( their formal permission is needed to go everywhere in the country)
The total amount raised was equivalent to € 55.000. On the basis of local costs and considering a sufficient diet the money collected is 160,000 days of food-equivalent.

The Hygienic Presidio
During 2007 summer while visiting a hospital in Eritrea, Franco saw a tank of 1.000 liters of Amuchina ( electrolytic sodium hypochlorite) used for disinfection in the same hospital. Costs and logistics were a madness, so Franco offered the possibility to install a small plant to directly satisfy their needs. The answer was absolutely clear "Please do it if you can." That’s how the “Hygienic Presidio” project started.
What we aim .
Sodium hypochlorite is probably the most widely used disinfectant in the world, with endless fields of use. In the world it is best known as Clorox, Ace etc…, used for bleaching and disinfection in general. When produced by an electrochemical process it is commercially known as Amuchina, Milton, etc. ... and this is the product that it is used in the medical field.

The Hygienic Presidio is an ambitious and long-term project to provide equipment for the production of electrolytic sodium hypochlorite and the know-how for its utilization.
- where: in underdeveloped countries
- to whom: hospitals, dispensaries and communities
Objectives

a) disinfection in hospitals, health centers or dispensaries: surgery rooms, emergency rooms, rooms, hospital rooms, etc

b) Disinfection of communities: toilets, kitchens, dining halls, dormitories, classrooms
c) house disinfection, drinkable water availability in small communities and villages. Water chlorination would be a crucial step for intestinal infections reduction, the most widespread disease and cause of children high mortality

The first phase of our project has been completed in 2010. The experience gained in the field has helped to design the final characteristics that the unit should have.

March 2009: a unit installed in the Vincentian Fathers community of Hebo. The main target was to produce drinkable water, for the daily well water consumption. A second target was the disinfection in the orphanage, in the dispensary, in the kitchens, toilettes and dining halls of the whole community. 

May 2009: a unit installed in the General Hospital of Uvira, Congo Republic After this experience AMO completed the final prototype, highlighting problems of transport caused by oversize and overweight of the equipments.

In cooperation with the volunteers of “Progetto Sorriso nel Mondo” (www.progettosorrisonelmondo.org ) AMO developed a general protocol for disinfection in hospitals located in remote areas based on the use of electrolytic sodium hypochlorite.

January 2010: The final version of the unit was given to the John XXIII High School in Guinea Bissau. The students of the school simply using the operating manual started the production and now sodium hypochlorite is used for disinfection in the college and is distributed to the community living around the school to get drinkable water.


April 2010: a big unit, donated by Verdenora ,was installed at the Health Division of the Eritrean Catholic Secretariat in Asmara, Eritrea 

It can satisfy the needs of several hospitals. From the secretariat sodium hypochlorite is filled into plastic drums and distributed.
 

October 2010: two mobile units installed in the hospitals of Khulna and Mymensingh in Bangladesh. The units matched the expectations: not exceeding 10 Kg each, easily transported as normal luggage, production as per design. Unexperienced people of the hospitalThe attendants of the hospital pharmacy locals learned quickly ho quickly learned how to operate as well as to check the quality of the product. 

The Hebo Orphanag

Last but not least the Orphanage of Hebo, the objective that we never lose sight of in Eritrea.
It always surprise us when we visit the orphanage the great changes that take place. Children that left the orphanage back to the villages of origin and new infants just arrived such as Abiel5 days old 


and the twins girls Sarah and Saron, two months old.


We checked the stock of powder milk and verified that it will be sufficient to cover the needs until the first quarter of 2011.


In October 2010 AMO delivered a new supply of powder milk enough to cover the needs until the spring of 2012 along with 2500 kg of lentils for the oldest children.

The House of the Vincentian Fathers in Dekhamare

The house of the Vincentian Fathers in the town of Dekhamare was built few years ago with a large inner-court. During the rainy season heavy rains are always accompanied by strong winds, so that corridors and rooms are easily flooded.

Upon request AMO studied 

and supplied a technical solution for a proper coverage. It was selected a roof in Lexan, a transparent plastic treated to adsorb 90% of the UV thus avoiding the green house effect.

The steel skeleton of the roof to support the Lexan sheets and the erection has been realized locally. 

The medicine donation of Zambon Italia srl

In 2008 Zambon Italia srl, a well known pharmaceutical company in Milano, made available a huge quantity of medicines

• 180.000 packing of pain-killers
• 30.000 packing of disinfectant for private parts.

AMO took care to ship ( two full containers) the medicines to the Health Division of the Eritrean Catholic Secretariat in Asmara.

The medicines have been distributed to all hospitals, health centers, dispensaries operated by the Catholic Church. Furthemore thedistribution was extended to all the hospitals belonging to the Ministry of Health in Eritrea.

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WE MADE: YEAR 2007-2008:
The middle school of Tekelabi( Blessed Gabremichael Junior School)

The valley of Tekelabi is a corner of paradise towards the center-east border
with Ethyopia.
The population of the valley, living in ten villages, is mainly dedicated to agricultural activities.
Since the childhood everybody has to contribute to the farmer activities, each
one for his capabilities. This is why school remained as a remote option until
recently. The Vincentian Fathers started several years ago the building of two primary schools located towards the opposite ends of the valley.
The two schools are reachable from the villages just by walking for 1-3 Km, thus letting enough time for the child to help the parents in the fields.
But once completed the primary school the problem was again there . The
closest middle class school was at a distance of more than 15Km or six hours of daily walk. No time left to help the parents in the field and therefore no chance to continue the educational cycle.
Amici di Marco , thanks to the exceptional sensibility to this issue of many donators, has sccceded in collecting enough funds to sustain the construction of most of the school complex.
An important infrastructure including

1. 5 buildings out of which four are classrooms and one is left for teacher offices and for a library.
2. In total 16 classroom each capable of at least 50 students
3. For a total of 800 students.

The school has been inaugurated on July 14, 2007 at the presence of the Bishop of Asmara and by the founders of the association.
Just recently the Fathers have provided the school with a couple of computers while other educational material has been supplied by the Ministry of Education.
We will continue to follow the growth of the school. For the academic year 2007-2008 the school has already two class room of the first year and two of the second year.

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WE MADE: YEAR 2005-2006:
underground rain water reservoir

Water is an atavic problem of Eritrea and is worsened in the last decadesRain falls are more or less important only during July and August; ground water is rare and deep.
Collected rain water is an important resource during the rest of the year and 
that is why we founded the construction of a 200 m3 concrete underground 
water reservoir needed by the population of the parish of Dekhamare.

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WE MADE: YEAR 2004-2005:
Toyota pick-up

The village of Hebo as well as all the villages of the valley are connected to the 
closest town of Segheneiti by a severely made-up road. The local population 
transport is by donkey or camel.
The donation to Hebo’s orphanage of a big Toyota Pick-up has solved the 
problem to the Fathers for a faster and more convenient transport of people and   goods.

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WE MADE: YEAR 2003-2004:
Youth Poly-functional Centre in Dekhamare

A complex of two buildings within the premises of the parish church of the 
Madonna of Perpetuo Soccorso.
The biggest building, capable to accommodate more than 1000 people, is the 
gathering place of the local community for celebration, festivals and for all the 
social activities of the many youths of the parish.
The smaller building includes the office  of the parish, school rooms and the 
library.
After the nearby church has been demolished as result of the bombardment
occurred during the Eritrean- Ethyopian war ended in the year 2000, the poly-functional center is utilized also for the celebration of religious ceremonies.

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WE MADE: YEAR 2003:
Support to the orphanage of Hebo

• yearly supply of powdered milk for babies up to two years hold
• supply of food for children
• medical assistance initiated by the paediatrist Dott. Laura Claut. All babies have been visited and an hospital file prepared to be the basis for the future assistance.