Fondazione Cariplo’s plan to fight child poverty in Milan

On the occasion of  its 25^th anniversary Fondazione Cariplo launched a major plan to fight child poverty in Greater Milan. For it the Foundation has already set aside €12 million. This is in addition to its commitments as one of the major contributors to the Fund to improve education as a way to fight child poverty backed with €120 million each year, for three years, by Italian banking foundations that are members of ACRI, in collaboration with the Italian Government, third-sector organizations and volunteer groups.

“It is a major plan” – said Giuseppe Guzzetti, President of Fondazione Cariplo – “with which once again our Foundation intends to act as a true driver of change and innovation within our communities. Milan is a city featuring a deep contradiction. It is vibrant and dynamic, the engine of growth and the beating heart of Lombardy, and in some respect of the whole country. And yet it is also a metropolis where according to data from Caritas there are thirteen thousand children who barely survive as they do not have enough to eat. Fondazione Cariplo wants to break the shackles of poverty that hold these children and families captive. To do so it launched a plan for which it earmarked €12 million for the next three years. At least as much is expected to come from businesses and individual donors. I’m sure” – concluded Guzzetti – “that a large number of people will respond to our call.”

The plan was presented during the meeting titled “A commitment to serving the real needs of the Country” held in Milan on December 16, 2016  to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of our Foundation. In addition to President Guzzetti, speakers at the meeting included: Tommaso Nannicini, Chair of the Steering Committee of the Fund to improve education as a way to fight child poverty; Maurizio Martina, Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; Romano Prodi, President of Fondazione per la Collaborazione fra i Popoli; Anna Scavuzzo, Deputy Mayor of Milan; Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan; Mario Calabresi, Editor-in-Chief of the Italian daily la Repubblica; Luciano Fontana, Editor-in-Chief of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera; Eraldo Affinati, writer and educator; Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont and Chair of the Board of Directors of Terna; Derrick de Kerckhove, sociologist and Scientific Director of Media Duemila; Stephane Jaquemet, UNHCR Regional Representative for Southern Europe; Massimo Lapucci, Chairman of the European Foundation Centre (EFC); Stefano Taravella, UNICEF Italy; and Sergio Urbani, Director General of Fondazione Cariplo.

During the meeting, President Guzzetti, talking about the Foundation’s engagement over this past quarter century, said: “Cariplo is a Foundation made up of men and women who everyday deal with a multiplicity of private and public players, mostly non-profit organizations, with whom they work and partner up to deliver projects that improve the quality of life of people, in particular those who live in our constituency and those who are more at risk of falling through the cracks: vulnerable elderly people, children in poverty, talented youths who struggle to realize their potential, people who live on the fringes of our cities and often of life. It is to them that we have dedicated our 25th anniversary. Ours is a steadfast commitment deployed day after day to the benefit of our communities, serving the needs of our Country, promoting social cohesion and thus paving the way for our future.”