Stella Mission: supporting families

In October, at the annual parish feast of St. Fulgenzio, an account of the previous school year's activities was provided to the community, with the data on new enrolments and the description of the activities carried out on behalf of children and their families.

Among other things, we presented the Institute of St. Anthony's generous act of solidarity, which has decided to offer free lunches in favor of the Kindergarten children at their students' canteen.

In recent months we have continued the volunteers' activities at Nido d’Ape. The interest and involvement of the local community is still high. The event of the parish feast has also provided us with the opportunity of further promoting the listening door service which has been active for two years now.

We are going to present the report of a girl who has recently worked as a volunteer at the Kindergarten Nido d’Ape in Rome.

Just arrived at Nido d'Ape I met the Coordinator of the Kindergarten, which is the contact person of the project supported by Fondazione Mission Bambini where I served as a volunteer. I was very pleased with this opportunity, because I was able to observe closely how it performs the work of the teachers, and I could participate directly in the activities with the children.

My experience at Nido D’ape allowed me, along with other volunteers, to get in touch with the 15 children who come from different countries and to work in a multicultural and multi-religious contest, which is not always easy to manage. Nevertheless, the communication with children has never been a problem. I spent the days filled with joy, taking part in singing with children, dance, art, reading fairy tales and educational games suitable for different age groups. I also worked to support the teachers during meals, changing diapers and children nap time. Among my most vivid memories I want to mention the Christmas Party with the parents, the Carnival feast and, during the summer, outdoor games in the garden. There was also an '"Open Day" organized by Fondazione Mission Bambini which enables supporters to visit the Kindergarten and get to know the children personally.

In addition to activities with children, regular meetings were held between the volunteers. These meetings have strengthened our bonds of friendship and have given rise to some interesting initiatives which will enable us to better understand the customs and religions of the families of the children who attend the Kindergarten, and ultimately to better interact with them. So some parents came to talk about their home countries, their customs and answered our questions. Reports about these meetings have been prepared and will remain available in the future for educators and volunteers.

Another initiative was the request made to the Sisters who run the school next to the Kindergarten to provide meals prepared in their canteen for our children so that they no longer have to bring food from home. The request was met with enthusiasm by the Sisters and also takes into account the dietary restrictions imposed by the different religions. In this way, now the kids are eating in a more healthy and balanced way.