The Tavola Valdese, the Managing Board of the Waldensian Church and diaconia, has set aside part of the 8 million of Euros funds for the Covid-19 emergency in Italy.
On March 19th, the Tavola announced an €8 million plan to respond to the material and psychological needs of the most vulnerable. The plan will be implemented in two steps. While the first step will support the Italian health care system, the second will carry out social and economic recovery measures for the most affected by the COVID pandemic. These extraordinary measures shall not affect the 673 social and health care projects funded by the 8XMILLE Valdese in 2019.
The first-step plan has already reached out to the hospitals of Bergamo and Brescia, the most affected cities in Italy, financing the purchase of intensive care equipment, as well as specialised personnel in charge of implementing new hospital units. The plan has also supported the training of medical and paramedical staff in the Marche Region and the reorganisation Evangelical Hospitals of Genoa and Naples.
Thanks to this special first plan, two mobile clinics for treating isolated and vulnerable groups have been established in Rome and Foggia. Over the next few weeks, new projects will be also implemented to respond to the needs of the migrants’ rural slums of Gioia Tauro (Calabria Region) and the demand for home care services in the Piemonte Region.
The Waldensian Church in Italy participates, like other religious denominations, in the distribution of the Otto per Mille funds. Under the Otto per Mille, Italian taxpayers devolve a compulsory eight per thousand from their annual income tax return to an organised religion or social service provider recognised by the Italian State. The Otto per Mille Valdese is allocated exclusively to the implementation of social, healthcare, humanitarian, and cultural interventions both in Italy and abroad. To this purpose, Organisations are allowed to submit project proposals, to obtain a financial contribution.
To know more about the Diaconia Valdese’s plan, please check the Otto per Mille webpage.