Ideas, projects and concreteness. Stories of those who spend their lives building a world of dialogue capable of overcoming the divisions produced by political debate and also by algorithms. The Focsiv (Federation of international volunteer organizations of Christian inspiration), on the day it celebrates the 31st edition of its International Volunteer Award, makes the world aware of how much good still continues to be done in every latitude of the world.
In the University Theater of the “Sapienza University of Rome” there is sister Albertina Pauletti (in the opening photo) Scalabrinian, director of the Instituto Madre Asunta (Ima) in Tijuana, Mexico, to receive the award for the “International Cooperation Project” category. The story of Ima, which for 30 years has welcomed migrant and refugee children and women at the border of Baja California, on the border with the USA, and which is part of the Scalabrinian Foundation, tells it Christian family with a long report by Luca Cereda.
In a world where, as he says Ivana Barsotto, president of Focsiv, “good unfortunately struggles to come out and impose itself”thanks to the awards we bring attention to the commitment of children and adults. The is assigned Southern Civil Society Award to the cooperative Esperança y alegria das mulheres – Esam, from the village of Higat in Guinea-Bissauwhich has been working in the sector of female empowerment since 2015 with capacity building activities and in the field of agro-zootechnics, and that for the Universal Civil Service and Civil Peace Corps to Silvia, 29 years old, who spent two years between Palestine and Greece thanks to the Colomba operation – non-violent peace corps of the Pope John Community.
And then there is the recognition of the artist Ghali, “for his commitment to social causes”.
Dthe voice of David reaches Israel, speaking on behalf of Mesarvot (a Hebrew word meaning “we refuse”), a network of Israeli activists who, at the risk of being arrested, refuse to serve in the Israeli army and oppose the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Joint Israeli-Palestinian demonstrations are being organized around the world to demand «the release of the hostages, the end of the genocide in Gaza and of apartheid». From Hebron, however, there is a Tarteel, a Palestinian activist from the Community peacemakers teams – Cpt Palestine, who works to transform violence and oppression into nonviolent resistance. Both won the Human Rights Defender award.
