Category: Homenews

 

We want to recount our commitment alongside the poorest, “with” them: hardships and joys, good results and limitations. The presence of each of us is fundamental!
We want to reaffirm our tenacious determination to start again. But we must do it all together. In Italy and in Africa, called to build a better future that leaves no one behind.
“No one can say they are out of the pandemic until we are all out of it. And this is particularly true for two continents as close and connected as Africa and Europe, so close as to constitute a single region, united rather than separated by the Mediterranean”.

Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic Ministerial Conference Meetings with Africa 2021.

START AGAIN WITH Liviana Da Dalt and Frank Houndjahoue
START AGAIN WITH Alberto Mantovani e Noemi Bazzanini
START AGAIN WITH Giuseppe Laterza e Federico Fama

Download the full program

TESTIMONIES FROM THE FIELD, FRIENDS, AND INTERVENING INSTITUTIONS

With the special participation of:

MARIO DRAGHI*
Italian Prime Minister

H.E. MONS. CLAUDIO CIPOLLA
Bishop of Padua

SERGIO GIORDANI
Mayor of Padua

LUCA ZAIA
President of the Veneto Region

ON. LUIGI DI MAIO
Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

HON. PAOLO GENTILONI SILVERI
Commissioner for the Economy of the European Union

ROMANO PRODI
President of the Foundation for the collaboration between peoples

H.E. MONS. ROCCO PENNACCHIO
Bishop of Fermo and President of 8 per mille CEI committee

ALBERTO MANTOVANI
President of Humanitas Foundation for research

MARIELLA ENOC
President Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital of Rome

GILBERTO MURARO
Chairman Cariparo Foundation

MOGOL*
Italian lyricist, record producer
and Italian writer

FATHER CHRISTIAN CARLASSARE
Bishop-elect of Rumbek, South Sudan

FRANK HOUNDJAHOUE
Cuamm paediatrician
in Bangui, Central African Republic

AMIR SENI
Director of Paediatrics of Beira, Mozambique

CHIARA BERTONCELLO
Professor of Public Health, University of Padua

TERESA DALLA ZUANNA
Medical Hygienist with experience of Jpo in Ethiopia

Video message by ANTHONY S. FAUCI
Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Conducted by:
PIERO BADALONI
Journalist

GUESTS WHO WILL BE WITH US

FABRIZIO BRANCOLI
Director of Il Mattino di Padova, La Tribuna di Treviso, la Nuova Venezia, il Corriere delle Alpi

LIVIANA DA DALT
Director of the Department of Women’s Health and Child Health Department and Paediatric Emergency Room

GIOVANNI FOSTI
President Cariplo Foundation

PATRICK CONNELL
Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at the U:S:Embassy to the Holy See

ANDREA GUZZETTA
Professor of Child Neuropsychiatry at the IRCS Stella Maris in Pisa

GIUSEPPE LATERZA
Publisher

DANIELA MAPELLI
Magnificent Rector University of Padua

SABINA NUTI
Rector of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa

VINCENZO MORGANTE
Director of Tv2000 and Radio Inblu

GIAN LUCA QUAGLIO
Health Policy Analyst in the Research Service of the European Parliament

PAOLO RUFFINI
Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See

ALESSANDRO RUSSELLO
Director of Il Corriere of Veneto

SIMONA SALA
Director of IL Corriere del Veneto

MARCO TARQUINIO
Director of Avvenire

*waiting for confirmation

Registrations
Confirmation of participation is required:
– by filling out the form on our site mediciconlafrica.org;
– by contacting Chiara Menegazzo at 049 8751279 or at eventi@cuamm.org
Free admission subject to availability.

Access
Access to the theatre will be possible from 9.00. To enter the Gran Teatro Geox is mandatory to show the Green Pass for those over 12 years. At the entrance will be measured the temperature to all participants and it is mandatory to always wear the mask. These provisions will not be applied to children under 12 years of age and to those exempt on the basis of appropriate medical certification.

Transports
By car: the Gran Teatro Geox offers ample parking, for information you can consult our website.
By train/ bus: CUAMM has organized bus transport from various Italian cities and an agreement for a 50% discount on train tickets. For information, consult our website or call the contact person in your area.

Contacts
Veneto/ Trentino Alto Adige/Friuli Venezia Giulia: Enrico Azzalin e.azzalin@cuamm.org cell. 3404611650
Emilia Romagna/ Tuscany: Maria Periti m.periti@cuamm.org cell. 3483962569
Lombardy: Michele Veronesi m.veronesi@cuamm.org cell. 3454173524
Piedmont/ Liguria/ Aosta Valley: Stefano Durando s.durando@cuamm.org cell. 3450525221
Central-Southern Italy: Nicole Laforgia n.laforgia@cuamm.org cell. 3473973467

It was a particularly complicated day. Professor Liviana Da Dalt, director of the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health of the Azienda Ospedale-Università di Padova, explains: “Guaranteeing all the numerous children a bed for hospitalization required a great effort today, but we succeeded. We are facing a very important respiratory virus epidemic. We also have Covid, but it affects little except for organization. This year, the winter season infections are very early; as a result, some young infants who are usually prophylactic in early fall, such as those born prematurely, have not received it yet this year, so they are very affected.” I confess that just today I thought of Africa, where, in crowded conditions, I have repeatedly seen two small infants placed in the same crib! Liviana does not shy away from questions, she argues with firm calmness, trying to find the right words.

Why is it important to participate in the Cuamm Annual Meeting?

“The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for enrichment. You leave with new energy, with a charge, with a determination to do better, certainly with Africa and for Africa, but also in your daily commitment here at home. At the Annual Meeting, there is a very special atmosphere, from a certain point of view, also an air of celebration. It is a moment of encounter, a meeting of friends, people who, even if they do not know each others, share the pride of working alongside Doctors with Africa Cuamm in its projects and commitment in Africa.

It is a moment to stop and listen to testimonials of true stories, of concrete commitment, courage and passion. From many points of view: some of them experienced, more mature people with longer experience, but also young people whom it is wonderful to meet after their first experience in Africa and feel that their vocation and dreams have been fulfilled. All are models of enthusiasm, sharing and generosity. This reinforces us and gives us energy.

But it is also a moment of knowledge and updating on the activities of Cuamm, which gives a serious account of its projects and the results of the “Mothers and children first” program in which we have been deeply involved too as doctors dedicated to children. A moment of overview that also makes us see the greatness of Cuamm and reinforces the determination and pride of being close to it. Sometimes you work so hard and lose the big picture. Then it’s time to stop and immerse oneself in the marvelous reality of Doctors with Africa Cuamm, which, despite all the hard work, conveys a commitment, enthusiasm and contagious passion that everyone takes home with them after those two hours spent together.

 

What does it mean to start again after, and in some ways within, this pandemic?

“I’m responding with a pediatric perspective, as someone who represents other people who care for children and moms. It is important to start again because with this pandemic, the children in Africa need us even more, but also we, in a certain way, need Africa. We know this: the pandemic has increased inequalities, delayed access to treatment, reduced the efficiency of already fragile services in Africa and had a negative impact on the health status of children and mothers. This is a reality that we are aware of and that requires a renewed commitment to stay close, to make a small contribution even with our young JPOs. I always teach my medical students, when they begin courses in pediatrics, that the majority of the world’s children are in the hemisphere below us, and that it is there that the most disadvantaged, most neglected children are. That’s why going to work in Africa as JPO is even more important.

But it’s also important for us: we feel better, we feel part of a much larger project, in line with the UN’s third objective of sustainable development “to ensure health and well-being”, a key objective of a truly global vision. In fact, for us, the pandemic has strongly interrupted the JPO project that we have embraced for over 15 years, during which time there has not been a day when there was not one of our residents in Africa; only the pandemic has managed to stop us! Starting again now is extremely important: it is a project of great value for the support we offer to children in Africa and also for our training schools. This is the added value of an experience in Africa: from learning about different diseases, to learning a new way of approaching them, to understanding the health needs of children in developing countries, to understanding what international cooperation is all about. This helps doctors to be more aware, both for those who leave and those who stay, because those who return talk about Africa and make others aware of these issues. We need this too!

Restarting now means having new awareness: the management of a pandemic has certainly changed our organizations, has required creativity and flexibility in finding new models of care. The Covid-19 pandemic was a model of how to have a global vision of diseases. It certainly taught us a lot, it showed us how infectious diseases can actually be a threat to the health of the world, and how a new mentality is needed, a new way of approaching such wide-ranging issues”.

 

Starting over with what dimension, with that value?

“The determination, the enthusiasm, the courage, we give them already consolidated. But now we have a greater awareness of how we need to be able to adapt to new realities that change, even very rapidly, to be flexible and creative in finding solutions. Africa test you in this regard and stimulates these attitudes, which are so important in our countries as well.

 

Frank Houndjahoue, Cuamm pediatrician from Bangui, in the Central African Republic, will also be coming to Padua to experience the Annual Meeting together.

Why is it important to participate in the Cuamm Annual Meeting?

The Annual Meeting is an opportunity to take stock of a year’s work in the field, to present the results achieved and the prospects for intervention in the various countries in which Cuamm operates. It allows us to compare the different realities, including that of the Central African Republic, each with its own difficulties, and to demonstrate the impact of Cuamm’s intervention in the last mile. I’ve never been to Italy before, so for me coming to the Annual Meeting will also be an opportunity to visit Cuamm’s headquarters and discuss things in person with colleagues, but also to meet the teams working in other countries in order to have fruitful exchanges of opinions and experiences.

What does it mean to restart after, and in some ways within, this pandemic?

Restarting, as the word implies, is a “starting again”, it indicates continuity but also announces a new phase. It implies a “new beginning”, but also “a new impetus”. A new departure must certainly remember the past, internalize the sense of a mission for an organization, but also for each individual person, and apply it to the changed context in order to be able to project into the future. In short, it is made up of fidelity, it is like going back to the origins, back home, so to speak, and at the same time of innovation, of adaptation to change.

Start again with what dimension, with that value?

My wish is to start again with determination!

Alberto Mantovani, President of the Humanitas Foundation for Research, has from the outset supported Doctors with Africa Cuamm for the vaccination campaign in Africa, promoting this great challenge.

Why is it important to participate in the Annual Meeting?

I participate to share, contribute and thank. For example, to share the vision of “with” and the goal of transforming a vaccine into a vaccination. To contribute what little I know. To thank the people of Cuamm for what they do and represent, even in my place.

What does restarting mean to you?

For me, leaving means taking up the challenge of research, of teaching in presence, and of knowledge. Of crossing the not knowing in the service of science and health, and of shared health.

Starting over “with”…?

I have many “with”: with members of my family, with members of my laboratory who are my teachers, with civil society organizations who live “with”, from the organizations in my neighborhood to Cuamm.

 

Noemi Bazzanini, took part to the mission in Tanzania as part of a project on chronic diseases. An infectiologist, on the front line in the Covid-19 emergency at Parma Hospital, in 2018 she had served with Doctors with Africa Cuamm as a Jpo and then as a doctor in infectious diseases in Shinyanga and Songambele, Tanzania.

Why is it important to attend the Annual Meeting?

It is an important moment to do advocacy: being many people, selling out in person, means expressing a greater commitment and awareness, to move something at the level of public opinion and institutions.

What does it mean for you to start again?

I’m returning to a country where I’ve already been, even if in a different place, after about two years, the time of Covid. Every time you go, it’s always starting something new, it requires all the commitment of new things, uti t also gives you the hope of doing well. It’s a great opportunity, it gives a strong charge!

Starting over “with”…?

I’ll be working a little bit on the ward, a little bit in the outpatient department, but the newest part will be working with the Jpo’s, I’ll have to measure up. I would say with the ability to get back on top of everything and rediscover.

 

Translation: Giulia Mascia
Communication and Media Relations Officer

Giuseppe Laterza, editor, will be with us at the Annual Meeting to give voice to Africa. He tells us about his idea of restarting, during this global pandemic that we are all still going through and how important it is to restart with others, starting with those less fortunate than us, such as our African brothers, so as not to leave anyone behind.

Why is it important to attend the Annual Meeting?

After such a long period of separation, which for many has unfortunately been a period of loneliness and even suffering, being in Padua again with the Cuamm community is not only a joy for the spirit but also a propellant/incentive/stimulus of that solidarity-based imagination that we need and will need in the coming years.

What does starting again mean to you?

Restart is a word that evokes many images and feelings. This global pandemic has opened our eyes to what Cuamm has known and practiced for many years in the work of many volunteers every day: our health is global and does not depend only on medicine or health conditions, but on many complex factors: demographics, economic conditions and many others. I think that starting from this teaching, we need to rethink ourselves as part of a global network, with which we need to constantly dialogue.

Starting again “with”…?

I would say with others, with all the others, no one excluded.

One of our authors, a great philosopher, Zygmunt Bauman wrote in his books that today there are in the world – but also at home – ‘discards of humanity’: those people cut off from civil and social life only because they are not useful to production and are not valued by the market, as Pope Francis also often says. I think we need to dialogue with them first! As Cuamm does and as it has done in many years of work.

Dante Carraro explains this very well in his book with Paolo Di Paolo: taking care of others, starting with those less fortunate than us, especially our African brothers and sisters, enriches us. This is not a rhetorical phrase: it makes us better because we will have cultivated the essence of our humanity. It seems like a simple concept, but in reality it is not easy. This testimony has to be showed, shared, with the right words, popularized and extended to a wider audience. The alliance between the world of culture with Cuamm and the other associations that work in the field is fundamental from this point of view. The world of culture cannot only rework something that is perhaps produced in the university, in research or by imaginative writers. It must embrace the totality of activities and share them so that they can reach many, many, if not all.

The pandemic has taught us that our health is global and Federico Fama, National President of Seism, knows it well. He testifies to the commitment of medical students who take up every day the great challenge of stimulating a cultural change, especially among young people, to become active players in promoting the right to health for all.

Why is it important to participate in the Annual Meeting?

Participating in the Annual Meeting is a ritual moment to give a face to the enormous work carried out by Cuamm year after year. Doing Global Health also means having opportunities to compare all the different realities and figures that deal with health, and the Annual Meeting is almost a holiday in this sense: it allows us to meet, to share together, and to grow.

This is also our opportunity to reaffirm our commitment as medical students to a great cause such as the one carried out by Cuamm: unfortunately we won’t be able to be physically present, but we will still give our contribution and bring our voice as future health professionals interested in a global approach to health: a great challenge, which we are proud to be able to say we face together with Cuamm.

What does starting again mean to you?

Personally, I take the word restart to mean: the last two years have been a great challenge and a huge pain for health systems around the world, unprepared for a global challenge such as a pandemic. For me, restarting means rebuilding: it is necessary to take stock of what is not working, and to change the approach with which it is faced. Health starts with education, and not just from medical students: a wide range of disciplines and skills are needed to enable us to address and defeat future health challenges, and it is crucial that change starts at all levels, including that of medical students, making them discover the inherently political role they play as health promoters in society.

Starting again with?

Starting again with determination, so that we can meet the challenges of the future with the awareness of the present and the lessons of the past, but above all, starting over with enthusiasm, which is one of the strongest drivers of change.