Becoming volunteers . together

IBO ITALIA

TM Alliance

Piestany – Slovacchia

March 2013

Who we are

IBO Italia is a Non Governmental Organization of Christian inspiration operating in the field of national and international volunteer work. The network of which it is member began its operations in 1953 in northern Europe, with the first work camps serving to rebuild destroyed houses for World War II refugees. In fact, IBO is the Flemish acronym for Internationale Bouworde, which translates into " International Builder Society ".
Located in Italy since 1957, IBO was officially established as an association in 1968 and was named suitable for work in in the field of international cooperation by the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in 1972 (IBO was the first NGO in Italy to officially carry out an international-cooperation project approved by the MFA). Member of CCIVS (Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service) since 1957 under the aegis of UNESCO, IBO has been registered in the Provincial Charity Registry since 2005 and united with Volontari nel mondo (Volunteers in the World) - FOCSIV since 1972.

Our history

IBO Italia was born in Italy in 1957, thanks to Father Angelo Marcandella, a young priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart, son of Italian emigrants in Belgium.
Father Angelo had followed the movement "International Bouworde" since its creation in 1953 in Europe by another priest, Father Werenfried van Straaten, better known as “Father Bacon." Father Bacon, who some years before founded the "Oostpriesterhulp" or " Church of the Silence" (today known as " Aid to the Church in Need"), acquired this nickname for his engagement with poor German refugees of the Second World War who, after having escaped from the blasted cities at the end of the war, crowded together on the borders with Belgium and Holland. In his collecting campaigns, Father Bacon took everything that Flemish housewives could spare; above all bacon (which earn him the lifelong nickname) that he then gave to the evacuee families.
One Sunday morning, during the Mass, he gave some small holy pictures to the children and told them to hang them on the wall of their houses. Whereupon he saw a little girl crying and he asked her why she was so sad. The little girl replied that hers was one of five families living in a warehouse. Her family was in the centre and so there were not any walls; these words left him bewildered and started off the movement of the "International Builder Memberships". Thus, Father Bacon decided to build houses for them, with the help of many young people who started to come from all over Europe to support us. Working teams of "white overalls", thanks the donation of thousands of white overalls from a German paint company, overran Europe up to Italy. Their aim was to build houses for who could not afford to buy one.
The first office of IBO Italia was in Cognola di Trento, then Pontenure (PC), Piacenza, Cesate (MI), Casalpusterlengo (LO), Cassana (FE) and now in in centre of Ferrara.
By the time, IBO Italia had become an official association (1968) and a Non-Governmental Organization (1972), when the first cooperation project in Zaire was carried out for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1974, IBO Italia was one of the founding NGOs of Volontari nel Mondo - FOCSIV (Federation of Christian Organizations for International Volunteer Service), at that time, still FOLM (Federation of Lay Missionary Organizations).
To this day, IBO Italia conducts many projects in Latin America, Africa, Asia and thousands of work camps throughout Europe with the participation of tens of thousands of volunteers.

OUR DREAM

Becoming volunteers... together

A society in which everyone takes responsibility for the wellbeing of others and of the community at large. A world in which education is available to everyone, so every person is free to choose where and how to live, in his or her country of origin or elsewhere.

This is the dream of IBO Italia, which brings together those who commit to their own countries to raise young people's awareness of the value of volunteering, those who go to faraway countries to volunteers, those who support minors in difficulty. Those who commit to slums and those who work in organizations, those who rethink their own lifestyles, those who believe in an equitable, free trade economy and those who fight against poverty, those who pray, and those who hope believing that they can make a difference.

This is the dream that inspires our efforts for solidarity and international cooperation, that motivates our invitation to you to share our commitment and our enthusiasm to build together a fair, just, and sustainable world.

To us, 'building' is an important word. It recalls how we were born more than fifty years ago and the works that have brought IBO Italia to where it is today: a non-governmental organization recognized both nationally and internationally. The willingness to self-analyse and to adapt as necessary does not hold us back from continuing to create positive change all over the world, from Italy to Peru, from Romania to India.

For the future, we envision an even greater involvement of IBO in the world because our young volunteers are becoming responsible citizens and active protagonists in society. We also aim to reinforce our commitment in the countries in which we are already present, because there is much to do before needs become rights, before projects lead to real cooperation: a meeting between individuals of equal dignity.

This is our path, which we walk together with many friends, old and new, all young of spirit, because we believe in volunteerism as a socially responsible choice. A conscious commitment to create relationships, networks, and community involvment. An open, dynamic, and enthusiastic participation which values the resources of everyone, constantly working to make this dream an everyday reality for all people.

MISSION

To promote personal growth as well as development within the community, with regard to human rights and social transformation, so that everyone can be a conscious and responsible member of an increasingly just and sustainable society.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30