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AVSI Tents Campaign/ Tende di Natale
Some twenty years ago in Italy, friends and supporters of AVSI began hold public events to raise awareness about and money for the projects run by AVSI in developing countries. One of the primary forms that these efforts took was the setting up of tents in public plazas like the central square of a city in the period around Christmas, starting at the beginning of Advent. At these tents volunteers would put up posters and other materials about the work of AVSI and would meet passers-by and talk to them about AVSI’s projects and works and to ask for money. Over time, the number of volunteers multiplied as did the number and type of fundraising initiatives which today include events such as exhibitions, concerts, dinners, meetings in the workplace or flea market type sales of crafts, and of course the tents, often with the participation and the witness by AVSI people working in the field. For some years now the “tents campaign” has also been held in other countries.
Over the years the campaign refined its focus with the choice of a leading theme chosen annually and consistent with the set of 5-6 projects selected, and presented with a statement which elaborates the theme and explains the rationale and approach for the selected projects. In this way, the campaign became an occasion to share with others what we mean by education, development, relief, charity, etc, by offering concrete examples in practice. The “tents campaign” is organized and hosted by volunteers, while AVSI provides the volunteers with all the basic materials needed and for the availability of selected witnesses from the field.
To understand more about this unique annual event, the Tents Campaign, please see the communication package available in PDF format. Posters are available for each of the five projects that were selected to be supported through this years initiative and can be viewed by selecting the links in the list below.
This Communication Package includes the editorial about this year's theme and the objective of the Tents Campaign, as well as a description of AVSI and longer explanations of the five projects selected for this year's initiative, also listed below.
Litani River Project: LEBANON
AVSI will expand upon a program for the improvement of water management for irrigation between Qaraoun Lake and the village of Bar Elias, taking into account the impact of this year’s conflict. The project aims at developing all hydraulic, natural, economic, social and cultural resources that take their potential from the Litani River, directly involving those who obtain their own and their families’ sustenance from the river.
AVSI will continue to support a school attended by more than 1000 Christian and Muslim students in the city of the Nativity and managed by the Franciscans who maintain the Holy Sites.
This school is a strong symbol of brotherhood in a region of the world where contrasts are not lacking. For the children, the school represents a place of rescue, a place in which to extend one’s horizons beyond that wall, beyond distrust, and a place to learn respect and tolerance in spite of cultural and religious differences.
Lima Urban Slums: PERU
Education, professional formation and human development have always been at the center of AVSI’s intervention in Peru since 1989. This year two new projects were launched in the zone of Nieveria di Huachipa and Lomas de Carabayllo, two of the most degraded settlements on the outskirts of Lima. The interventions will expand educational and developmental opportunities for children and will engage parents in a program of orientation on topics related to their children’s education.
Kosovo Agricultural Development: KOSOVO
In Kosovo, AVSI has begun to focus on rural development in a region where agriculture is the principle means of sustenance. This project’s objective is to reinforce the “Agrodukagjini,” a network of 12 associations of small producers of milk, vegetables and fruit, as well as beekeepers in the region. The consolidation “Agrodukagjini” links businesses and public institutions through training and promotional activities, and benefits the more than seven hundred members of the network and their families.
Northern Uganda Medical Crisis: UGANDA
AVSI, present in Uganda since 1984 with diverse programs, has decided to launch a new project for the restructuring of St. Joseph Hospital’s maternity ward, an important symbol of hope in the daily emergency. For many, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Kitgum represents the final hand to grasp in the grave healthcare crisis that grips the region and severely threatens women and children.
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