History and Testimony
THE HISTORY OF VIS FOUNDATION
VIDA - Volunteers for International Development Associated - was founded at the end of 2010, extactly on December 8, in Italy, after the experience of a group of volunteers in Calcutta, under the direction of Father Miguel Cavallé (of the Legionary of Christ), who would be elected President of VIDA from the begining.
VIDA's mission has always been to help solidarity initiatives in India in favor of the poorest of the poor and promoting humanitarian missions in that country. A year later, at the end of October 2011, Father Miguel founded VIS Foundation, also in Italy, with the idea of building a worldwide network of shelters and schools that could serve poor and needy children and young people in different parts of the world. In 2014, VIDA joined the international VIS family.
In 2012 VIDA sent its first aids to some centers in Calcutta and Delhi. That same year, VIS Foundation Mexicoimmediately began offering services to the first centers in the country's capital.
In 2013 the two Italian organizations had an important development; VIDA multiplied its helps in other places in India (Indore, Kanjirappally, Jabalpur, etc.) and VIS began its mission in four African countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Madagascar and Tanzania)In 2013 the two Italian organizations had an important development; VIDA multiplied its helps in other places in India (Indore, Kanjirappally, Jabalpur, etc.) and VIS began its mission in four African countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Madagascar and Tanzania), also in Italy and in Costa Rica.
In mid-2013, on the other hand, the association VIS Spain was founded. It would become a foundation in 2018. At the end of that same year, 2013, VIS Foundation Brazil was founded with the mission to manage a school on the outskirts of Sao Paulo.
In 2014, while the different existing headquarters reinforced their actions in the countries in which they operate (especially in Mexico), VIS Italia continued its international expansion by adding projects in Kenya, Guatemala and, above all, the management of the “Mano Amiga” school in El Salvador thanks to an agreement with the CIDECO association; VIS Foundation El Salvador would be recognized by the government of this country as the headquarters of VIS Italia in 2017.
In 2015 VIS began its mission on the Philippine Islands and VIDA started supporting a project in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India); Above all, however, it was the year that projects in Europe (in various cities of Spain and Italy) grew in a more significant way. In 2016 VIS has built a house for a family that had lost it in the terrible earthquake that struck Ecuador meanwhile a small project to support refugee families was carried out in Bosnia Herzegovina. In addition, that year VIS organized a humanitarian mission in El Salvador for the first time, with a large group of volunteers. It is in this year when the headquarters of Mexico organizes the first International Congress on institutional strengthening to train directors of solidarity institutions in favor of children in need.
It is significant, in 2016, the opening of our offices in Catania and the creation of a solidarity center in this Sicilian city. In 2017 work began in Vietnam supporting the poorest in the Nam Dinh area; in addition, VIS started a collaboration with the Rogationist sisters to carry out various solidarity projects in Cameroon. In El Salvador we started with a women's help center, offering self-improvement courses and teaching various professions, in addition offering a small shop available for the sale of the products that they themselves make. That same year, our volunteers activated an ambulance and other means to help those affected by the earthquake that struck Mexico City.
2018 served us to consolidate the work in the various headquaters opened around the world; the construction of the second floor in our Nirmal Niketan center in Kolkata and the support to a solidarity project in the diocese of Sagar, in Madhya Pradesh (India). Furthermore, in 2018, for the first time, VIS Foundation sends a group of volunteers to Manila for a humanitarian mission.
In 2019, finally, two projects were supported in Bangladesh and VIS started the collection of funds for the construction of a school in Nigeria; In addition, the constitutive act of VIS Foundation in Guatemala. That year, for the first time, a humanitarian mission was organized with volunteers in Rwanda. It is also in 2019 when VIS Spain, in addition to consolidating the work carried out for several years in the "Highlands School" of Barcelona and in the University "Francisco de Vitoria" of Madrid, VIS begins a collaboration with the "Royal Monastery of Santa Isabel" in Barcelona.
TESTIMONY OF Fr. MIGUEL CAVALLÈ, PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION
In the summer of 2008 I had the opportunity to go to Calcutta to volunteer, encouraged by a friend. I couldn't imagine the brutal inner shock that trip caused me. I was deeply moved by the misery and human suffering that I encountered, the way that millions of people lived in that place in total indifference.
When I returned to Italy where I lived, I did not accept within myself the possibility of forgetting what I had seen or remaining indifferent, as if it had only been a dream or a nightmare. It took me a couple of years to assimilate the hard blow of Calcutta, but that was when I decided to do something, to send financial aid to the missionaries I had met, share my experience with friends and organize humanitarian missions with volunteers from that moment on.
This is how VIDA was born in 2010. As soon as my friends from other countries found out about the initiative, they made me see that not only in India it was urgent to do something, but also in many other countries, and they offered to support me to start working in other places as well as to help people in need. This is how VIS was born in 2011, first in Italy and later in many other countries.
Today I am impressed with what we have done in such a short time. We started without money, without experience, without knowing almost what we were going to do exactly, but with the firm decision to change things and overcome indifference. Today I am deeply grateful to God and to all the people who are part of this project in one way or another. All together we are demonstrating the strength of Charity.
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