Interview with President Giorgia Gambini - RadioGRParlamento 11/4/2024 - "A bike for school" and the Interlife Toolkit development model for a sustainable future
- Interlife
- 12 mar
- Tempo di lettura: 3 min
On November 4, 2024, Interlife President Giorgia Gambini was a guest of Paola Severini Melograni on Rai Gr Parlamento, as part of the program " The challenge of solidarity - Third sector - culture and territories for a new social policy. "
Starting from "A bike for school", one of the many important initiatives that the organization carries out every day in favor of extremely poor and disadvantaged people, Gambini shared the work and vision of Interlife, explaining how the organization is committed to promoting sustainable development and generating a real and lasting impact in the most vulnerable communities.
A life-changing project: "A Bike for School" and the support of the Mediolanum Foundation.
With the "A Bike for School" project , Interlife aims to donate 250 bicycles to girls and young women from the most marginalized communities, particularly the Untouchable caste . In many rural areas, going to school can mean traveling for miles on rugged, isolated, and dangerous roads. Unfortunately, this exposes children, especially girls, to the risk of violence and kidnapping. Too many parents are forced to choose between their children's safety and their education. This is where a bicycle can make a real difference. " A bike can transform not only the journey to school, but also a child's future ," explained Gambini.
But the project doesn't stop there. Thanks to the collaboration with the Mediolanum Foundation, which will double every donation made by December 31, 2024, Interlife will be able to reach its goal of 500 donated bicycles and 500 transformed lives . This support will allow the initiative to multiply its impact, making school more accessible and safe for many young people.
"We share the Mediolanum Foundation's commitment to ensuring the right to education. Their support for the "A Bike for School" project is essential to continuing to provide a better future for India's most vulnerable girls," said Giorgia Gambini. " Thanks to this contribution, we can give 500 girls not just a bicycle, but a concrete opportunity to build a better future."
The Interlife Toolkit : An innovative model for development in the global south
Gambini also presented the model underlying Interlife's work: the Interlife Toolkit . This development model, developed by Interlife, not only directly assists individuals by providing what is needed to start a business, but also has a unique feature. Each Interlife Toolkit, once received, enables its users to develop a micro-business and become financially self-sufficient. When a beneficiary achieves this goal, the Toolkit is passed on to another vulnerable person in the community, creating a cycle of collective growth and development.
The model is based on the creation of a virtuous cycle of development that, thanks to the support and professional training provided by Interlife, contributes to the development of new toolkits, and thus new work, employment, and food security opportunities, with resources shared by beneficiaries. It is a scalable, replicable methodology, already successfully implemented in various regions of Africa and Asia, benefiting thousands of people. This method is designed to sustainably address the needs of vulnerable communities, addressing the root causes of the socioeconomic challenges that are among the main causes of irregular migration .
Interlife's commitment to sustainable development
The Interlife Toolkit is not only an innovative idea, but also a concrete and measurable tool, as highlighted by the Interlife Impact Report , Presented to the Chamber of Deputies last April, the data, validated by the Etisos Foundation, shows that the Interlife Toolkit contributes to community self-sufficiency, generating improvements in the economic, nutritional, and educational sectors, and represents a real response to the " root causes of migration ."
Gambini explained how Interlife has also initiated discussions with the Italian Government in the context of the Mattei Plan , proposing "concrete tools to improve the lives of people and communities " in terms of promoting development in Africa and creating job and socio-economic opportunities.
An appeal for support
At the end of the interview, Paola Severini Melograni reiterated the importance of supporting projects like "A Bike for School ," describing Interlife as a concrete and reliable partner in international cooperation and sustainable development. Interlife, in fact, doesn't just provide temporary aid, but offers lasting solutions, laying the foundations for a more equitable and autonomous society.
With “A bike for school” , Interlife, together with the Mediolanum Foundation Philanthropic Body , continues to demonstrate its commitment to changing the future of new generations.