Mamadou

Another member of my “long - distance family”. Meet Mamadou!

Mamadou Oumar was born in Senegal, the Saint - Louis region where many families struggle to survive due to severe drought.

He is seven years old and has six male siblings. He’s a quiet boy and he has been attending Koranic school for six months now. His parents are engaged in farming and cattle raising but due to financial difficulties they were forced to send Mamadou into a Koranic school.

Children enrolled in that type of schools spend most of their day in prayers and studying Koran. In spare time they play out in the streets where they tend to get cuts and light injuries which, as a result of insufficient hygiene in those areas, can easily become infected and over time cause serious illnesses. Children also sleep in common dorm rooms where various diseases spread quickly so they are also exposed to this form of poor hygiene.

Owing to the possibility of long - distance aid, Nutriaid is able to control the hygiene in schools but also of children themselves so they can intervene when necessary . Thanks to frequent visits to schools, team of Nutriaid also educates children about the importance of proper hygiene. Fortunately, Mamadou hasn’t had any major health issues since he started attending school, apart from light colds which were successfully treated from the start.

Mamadou joyfully takes part in every school activity, especially art class and learning the alphabet.

Albert

Albert is a boy whose destiny I helped to change when I joined the NUTRIAID organisation.

The fact is that I always felt the urge to help others but considering my line of work it is difficult for me to participate in person, with my own two hands as I would prefer. But fortunately, financial aid can be of immensely beneficial if managed the right way. So, my presence in his life, although only indirectly through financial assistance, made a difference and helped his family cope through rough times. It also made a difference in my life and helped my son Marcus realize that life is not always a fairy tale.

He always boasts about having a “brother” who lives far away in Africa and retells his life story, but I’m still not sure he fully understands what life is really like over there and what kind of danger Albert was actually in. But we have to start somewhere. I hope that such upbringing will help him learn the significance of friendship and helping ones in need.

I plan to visit Albert and the entire organization of NUTRIAID in Rwanda someday, and help in person.

When we first saw him, Albert weighed only five kilograms and the mere sight of him was heart-breaking.

But every time I receive news about his progress and him developing into a healthy and happy little boy, a pleasant change affects my everyday life and fills me with bliss. I’m grateful to that because being involved in humanitarian work means giving yourself to others and brings fulfilment and actual meaning to our existence.

Today Albert is a healthy, plumpish and cheerful little boy.

Mhina

This is how the story begins. People from Asystel Volley from Novara are very kind and caring about others. They have always been different and inventive, so they were first to come up with the way to help children through volleyball.

I commend them because they did not take advantage of us as many did - to make calendars intended for male audience and putting money in their pockets.

I do not know exactly how that meeting was arranged except that one day a photographer showed up, named Paolo Sacchi, who was quite demanding. He presented us the idea, along with our sports director Massimo De Stefano, and so we took one morning for a photo session. It was interesting and new, but knowing that some ”younglings” somewhere far in Africa would dress up in our jerseys and have their pictures taken just like us, brought me inner excitement.

The days have passed and I just couldn’t wait for the calendar to finally appear. They didn’t want to show it to us until Christmas, more precisely, until our last game of the year.

Promotion of the calendar swept everyone off their feet, brought tears in our eyes and melted the most stubborn hearts. My picture with Minho is amazing.

I do not know how many calendars were sold, but I know I was shown the path that eventually led me to Albert a Mamadou.

I know it's in Italian, but if anyone wants a translation please let me know through CONTACT section