(Brescia) – Some people leave for a mission and come home with suitcases full of memories. Others return and keep asking themselves how they can continue to help. Monika, Germano, Lara, Ginevra, Iacopo, and Giona belong to the second group.cano
A mother, worker, soon-to-be retiree, and president of A.GEN.D.A. LILLA O.D.V., Monika is one of those people who never stops. Not because of tiredness, not because of age, not for the sake of convenience. In the summer of 2024, after already having lived a volunteering experience in Uganda with the Canossian Foundation VOICA ETS, she decided to fly to Togo. Destination: Datcha, a small village in the Togolese interior.
Germano and Lara had a particularly special experience, as they chose to share their volunteering journey in Togo with their children Ginevra, Giona, and Iacopo, also during the summer of 2024.
Animate, play, meet
In Togo, Monika, Germano, Lara, Ginevra, Giona, and Iacopo devoted themselves to activities and recreational animation with the children. Anyone who has lived this experience knows that “animation” does not simply mean organizing games. It means creating spaces for encounter and openness; it means looking a child in the eyes and telling them, without words, that they matter, that they count, that they deserve to smile.
Our volunteers, with their overwhelming energy and natural ability to bring others along, immersed themselves fully in the reality around them. And when it was time to return, they packed their bags. But they did not switch off their hearts.
The mission continues
Back in Italy, Monika, Germano, and Lara with their children did more than simply tell their story. They began to ask themselves: “What could they do, from here, for them?” And from that simple and powerful question came their new volunteering adventure: “mission from Italy”.
Their latest idea is as simple as it is brilliant: a partnership with the gelato shop Él Gelater in Prevalle (Brescia), through which every gelato enjoyed becomes a small concrete act of solidarity. The proceeds from the sales will help buy a school bus for the children of Sotouboua, a vehicle that will allow the little ones to reach preschool safely, overcoming the distances that today are one of the main barriers to school attendance.
“Gelato takes you places” is the slogan of the initiative. Two special events will be held at the Canossian Institute in Brescia (Via A. Diaz 30): on May 7 at 3:30 p.m. and June 4 at 7:00 p.m., and at the Canossian Institute in Bedizzole (Viale Libertà 50): on May 24 at 3:30 p.m. A sweet afternoon for a sweeter future for many children.
And you?
The story of Monika, Germano, Lara, Ginevra, Giona, and Iacopo teaches us something important: volunteering is not just the trip. It is not just the weeks in Africa. It is also what happens after. It is the creativity of those who refuse to surrender to distance. It is the stubbornness of those who keep asking, “What can I do?” even from the sofa at home.
The Canossian Foundation VOICA ETS is looking for volunteers willing to leave, but also volunteers willing to stay and support missions from Italy: organizing events, raising awareness in their networks, fundraising, or simply sharing. Every contribution matters. Every gesture matters.
If you feel that you also have something to give — time, creativity, energy, passion — get in touch. The first step is not buying a plane ticket. The first step is raising your hand.
