Europe – Celebrating 20 years of Fe y Alegría in Italy
Fe y Alegria Italy has organized the anniversary of 20 years of school and training activity of the Educational Unit "José María Vélaz" of the Instituto Fe y Alegria Radio del Ecuador (IRFEYAL) for Latin American youth and adults in Genoa, Milan and Rome. An educational project of the three social cooperatives Fe y Alegria Genova, Fe y Alegria Milano and Fe y Alegria Roma that form the Fe y Alegria Italia network.
Fe y Alegria is the largest educational network in the world, founded in Venezuela in 1955 by Fr. José María Vélaz SJ, and currently present in 22 countries. The Fe y Alegria Italia Network is part of the Gesuiti Educazione Foundation. The mission of Fe y Alegría is to guarantee a comprehensive, inclusive and quality education for young people and adults in vulnerable situations, enabling them to become actors in the construction of fairer social systems for all.
For 20 years, in collaboration with the Instituto Radiofónico Fe y Alegría Ecuador (IRFEYAL Ecuador), it has been offering a school program for young people and adults from all over Latin America and the Caribbean who have not completed their primary and secondary education, which has allowed more than 1000 people to obtain a degree equivalent to an Italian diploma, the "Bachiller Técnico en Servicios Informáticos".
This important event was attended by two of the founders, Pilar Soria and Narcisa Soria, together with students, alumni, collaborators and benefactors, the Consul General of Peru in Milan, Ambassador Don Augusto Salamanca, the Delegate for Consular Functions of the Consulate of Ecuador in Milan, lawyer Valentina Lopez and the Undersecretary of the Lombardy Region responsible for Relations with international delegations, Dr Alan Christian Rizzi. Associations linked to the Latin American community in Italy were also present.
With these words Fr. Florin Silaghi SJ, director of Fe y Alegria Italia, greeted the friends and collaborators present: "We have much to celebrate: 20 years accompanying each person in the process of personal and professional growth reaching more than 1000 graduates. Today we not only look back to the past to express our gratitude for the road we have travelled but also with enthusiasm for the future together with you. Seeing here today authorities, associations, families, media, alumni, students, teaching and non-teaching staff, i.e. friends gathered around such a unique project of training and inclusive education gives us hope to think that, if we collaborate, we can build a better future for all and especially for those who still seek a more dignified future and a fairer world".
Source: Fe y Alegria
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