In line with Un Ponte Per's strategy with respect to its work in Italy, focused among other things on the fight against climate change and the reduction of environmental impact, the objective of "Climate Sentinels" is to strengthen the knowledge and awareness of teachers, students, communities and institutions towards the construction of a conscious and active citizenship able to oppose climate change with practical actions. The project in particular focuses on training secondary school teaching staff on the topic of climate change, providing tools, educational approaches and sharing good practices; and on the student body, involved in educational programmes based on active participation, hands-on workshops, local and global knowledge sharing and advocacy practices. Entire communities are involved, for the development and adoption of PACs (alliance plans between schools, local authorities and civil society actors), with the aim of working together to combat climate change. The project focuses in particular on Piedmont, where UPP has been active for years with non-formal education programmes within schools.
Between 2019 and 2024, Un Ponte Per, thanks to funds from the Italian National Plan of Action to implement UN Resolution 1325 aimed at strengthening the role of women and youth in peace-building, particularly in the area of West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), worked with numerous civil society organisations in Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia and Italy through several projects. These include Engendering Peace and Kaleidoscope of Peace (Iraq, Lebanon), and Woman Waving Peace (Tunisia, Libya, Iraq). In 2023, the work continued with the Women Peacebuilders in Action intervention, and continues today with this new action plan.
The aim is to provide training for civil society organisations, and in particular women and young people, on the pillars of participation, prevention and protection contained in Resolution 1325, strengthening the leadership roles of young people and women, their political participation, the protection of minorities and human rights defenders, with active involvement in inter-community, inter-generational dialogue processes and peace building.
In the coming months, 10 civil society organisations in Italy, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia will be united in a transnational network, and at least 100 activists will be trained to strengthen their work and carry out advocacy actions at the national and European level on peacebuilding, conflict transformation and the participation of women and youth.
The humanitarian situation in north east Syria continues to deteriorate, with serious gaps in essential services, including education. The lack of adequate educational facilities and the high cost of services are among the main causes of school drop-outs, while unemployment and poverty prevent families from supporting lə children in accessing education.
To address the current gaps in education in Raqqa, Un Ponte Per, in cooperation with local partner DOZ, will provide non-formal education services for childrenə and lə their tutorsə. The aim is to help themə catch up with formal education in schools and integrate into their school age group, improving their educational level. The activities will take place in the Safe Spaces for women and children survivors or at risk of violence and exploitation that Un Ponte Per has opened in Raqqa thanks to the support of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai (IBISG), active since 2021.
Non-formal education services will be available both for children and adolescents (9-17 years old) who attend school and for those who have dropped out or are no longer attending school. In addition, literacy classes will be offered to carers, mainly women, who will also benefit from protection services at Safe Spaces.
In response to the lack of facilities and economic difficulties that cause school drop-outs, the project will also offer free transport, ensuring safe and continuous access to courses.
The project also aims to strengthen social cohesion by integrating non-formal education and protection activities with specific non-violent conflict resolution education activities.
The activities are designed to be sustainable in the long term, combining non-formal education, protection and capacity building for adultsə and childrenə, with the aim of creating a lasting impact in the community.
More information on the previous phases of the project - called 'Darna al Aman' - is available in our archive.
In Italy, Un Ponte Per has been active for some time with projects that focus in particular on the area of Monza and Brianza, thanks to the support of a very active local committee and a wide network of collaborations with local realities. "Dress Green" is a project that fits into this sphere of intervention, with the aim of analysing the panorama of third-sector organisations involved in the collection of garments in good condition in Monza, and then providing tailoring skills to repair faulty clothes in good condition, thus reducing textile waste, providing support and opportunities for personal and professional development to women who are experiencing a period of social and economic hardship, offering them a way to improve their job prospects and overall well-being.
As an end result, citizenship will be sensitised to a more sustainable consumption and purchasing system also by acquiring skills on the problem of 'fast fashion' and its impacts on the environment and communities.
The work in Italy of Un Ponte Per, which has been active for many years in first and second grade schools, particularly in the Monza and Milan area, to promote non-formal education courses aimed at students living in situations of difficulty and hardship, continues. The 'iSchool Lab' is also part of this track, an initiative carried out with a network of local associations and aimed at students at the Liceo statale Parini high school in Seregno (MB) and the Professional Institute for Commercial and Tourist Services in Meda (MB), to help them identify, understand and manage their feelings in a healthy and effective way; to provide practical tools to improve their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing; to help them explore their passions, interests and talents in order to make informed decisions about their future career and life path. Through a range of activities and workshops - including social circus and poetry slam - the aim is to encourage young people to take control of their lives, developing self-confidence and self-determination skills, in a welcoming and inclusive environment where they can openly express their thoughts, feelings and concerns without judgement.
Lebanon has been experiencing a terrible economic crisis since 2019, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and, recently, the Israeli offensive. The population's living conditions and food security are at risk, and around 2 million people are suffering from economic instability and food insecurity. Social tensions are exacerbating the country's already precarious economic conditions, which threaten to exacerbate the inter-communal conflicts already present, especially in rural areas where the scarcity of resources is most felt.
With this intervention, Un Ponte Per, which has been working in the country for years, intends to strengthen socio-economic conditions, development and social cohesion particularly in the area of Mount Lebanon and Baalbek, in villages where Christian communities are a minority and suffer from particular economic fragility. The 'Peace Gardens' project will work to strengthen social cohesion between communities to ensure better living conditions. The intervention is particularly aimed at agricultural workers, small farmers and micro-cooperatives, who will be reached by training and education on economic management, innovative agricultural techniques and meetings on religious and community coexistence.
In Syria, Un Ponte Per has been working since 2015, with a specific focus on supporting and rehabilitating the local health system, severely affected by years of conflict. In the north-eastern area in particular, UPP works with a wide-ranging perspective, also supporting local municipalities in the creation of a recycling system for urban and sanitary waste to protect the environment. With this aim, the 'Sun and Health' project intends to strengthen the use of clean energy and at the same time facilitate access to electricity for the supported health facilities, while reducing pollution due to the extensive use of generators. With this intervention it will be possible to install 18 solar panels on the clinics that UPP supports run by the local partner, the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC), which provide free treatment to 540,000 people in the area. This is a pilot initiative that will be gradually extended to other areas in north-east Syria.
The work in Italy of Un Ponte Per, which has been active for many years in first and second grade schools, particularly in the Milan and Monza area, to promote non-formal education courses aimed at students living in situations of difficulty and hardship, continues.
Among the many activities carried out are social circus workshops, important tools for breaking down personal barriers to group work, and helping students overcome fears and get involved.
In this case, the Istituto comprensivo 'Arcadia' in Gratosoglio (Milan) will be involved, with whom the social circus workshop will be carried out, encouraging collaboration between students and increasing listening and collaboration skills.
Un Ponte Per has been working since 2015 in the north-eastern area of Syria, particularly engaged in supporting, reconstructing and strengthening the local health system, which has been tested by years of conflict. With a view to providing multi-level support, UPP has also been involved for years in supporting the urban and sanitary waste disposal system in several municipalities, including Hassakeh.
This is also the direction of this intervention, which aims to reduce the environmental impact in the recycling and disposal procedures of urban and sanitary waste, strengthening the system created by the local authorities of the Municipality of Hassakeh. At the same time, the objective is to map new areas of intervention, guaranteeing continuity and quality in the training of the personnel in charge.
Despite the fact that Syria tends not to be in the news any more, the extent of the conflict in the country continues to affect the lives of millions of people. Un Ponte Per, active since 2015 in the north-east of the country, works to support local partners and civil society, particularly in the health sector. This project gives continuity to an earlier intervention - 'Ishraf' - with which a major pilot initiative was launched with the aim of understanding and addressing the deep-rooted causes of weaknesses in the local health system and defining a capacity-building strategy for management by the Autonomous Administration of North East Syria (AANES).
The intervention made it possible to provide an up-to-date snapshot of the health status of the health system in the area, which lacks recent data and studies due to the continuing conflict. An initial demographic analysis of the population and primary health needs was followed by a mapping of all the operational health structures, their potential and an assessment of the quality of services offered by both public medical centres and those supported by international NGOs, as well as an analysis of the actual training and refresher training capacities of local institutions for medical personnel.
At the same time, through the creation of coordination platforms, the various local actors working in the sector will be able to come together and exchange information on gaps and priorities for action. A multidisciplinary group will define the priority areas of an overall strategy to strengthen the health system in the medium term.
