CONFERENCE | by Camilla Azzini
Left Behind – Brussels Conference: Ivano Abbruzzi
Biographical note:
Co-Founder of L’Albero della Vita, he has been working since 1997 for the startup of the organization, designing projects and driving the creation of the social interventions in Italy and worldwide. He is head of national and international programmes unit, managing all activities on children’s rights protection and promotion in Italy, Europe and developing countries.
He is also head of the team dedicated to research, advocacy and networking. Involved in activities of several networks at national and European level, he is member of the management board of Eurochild.
Abstract of presentation:
‘Romania: a key European phenomenon’
Presentation of L’Albero della Vita, founded in 1997 as a regional association, it has grown in Italy and at international level with the aim of generating development and well-being for children in need but also to raise awareness on children welfare worldwide.
L’Albero della Vita has had a special interest in the thematic of Children Left Behind since 2008: starting from a sort of “cultural link” between Romania and Italy (where thousands of Romanian families migrate). It went further on preparing a brief publication and developed psychosocial and sanitation projects to support children and families in Moldavian Romania (in Jasi, Liteni and Roman) with local implementing partners. A multi country research project on migrating families and on the specific impact of migration on children, involving Romania, Italy and Spain was financed by the European Commission through the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship programme and will formally start just tomorrow.
In 2010 L’Albero della Vita started advocating EU institutions for children left behind, organizing conferences and institutional meetings: the conference in Milan (May 2010), the meeting in the European Parliament in Strasburg (July 2010) with several Italian MEPs and, today, the international conference in Brussels. L’Albero della Vita is giving input to gather several actors involved in the issue at different levels in a European network, which aims to promote a comprehensive understanding about the phenomenon and the implementation of effective preventing and supporting actions at EU and national level.