Solidarity and Charity

Salvatore Cimmino with with the Governor Julien Paluku Kahongya

Solidarity and Charity are not synonyms for alms. That is a misunderstanding we live into, since a long time. Those terms express in facts Love and Justice. Solidarity and Charity mean courage of revealing overwhelming and represent the will of committing ourselves to do good, because all of us are responsible for the collective good.

I am to leave to Goma, capital city of North Kivu, which lies at the foot of the giant volcano Nyiragongo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, communities are destroyed and values evanish, because of violence of a several years lasting tribal war. Villages are attacked and raided, then nobody is on safe, and women, children, men are killed.

Salvatore Cimmino at Rehabilitation Centre Shirika La Umoja

Natural resources, such as mines of gold, diamonds, copper and coltan are the reason why that happens. Coltan, for instance, is a mineral strategic to hi-tech industries. The Democratic Republic of Congo owns 80% of worldwide reserves. Cause of that mineral, landowner native populations have been dispossessed. Profits from those activities fund civil war. Moreover, their environmental impact is dramatic and people’s rights are seriously and continuously ignored.

Salvatore Cimmino host of Fathers Caracciolini\’s elementary school

To tent stop such a disaster, we just need simple and true words. We need to pay a glance, able of providing a diagnosis and of proposing a cure. Then, first of all we must say that commonsense is the first victim of wars, as since ever it is the basements of human life. Actually, it is not a natural born character, but it is gained living in it.

Salvatore Cimmino with a Paralympic athlete of Goma city

What is commonsense for? It is worth for understanding what is good or is not useful to us, and we consider “useful” as a synonym for good. The concepts of growing up and ageing are ingrained in the human being, and they consist of the ability of distinguishing right and wrong.
Commonsense suggests nobody is allowed to be indifferent to such dramatic events which occur daily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It becomes necessary that Europe take a serious and effective initiative for appeasing that marvellous region of North Kivu.
On November 15th the Rehabilitation Centre Shirika La Umoja is to celebrate its 50th anniversary from foundation, which is the main reason why I am to visit Goma. For the reasons above, the number of patients of the Centre had been tripled over the last year, so that the Institute is not always able of fulfilling their request for assistance.

Salvatore Cimmino with Father Paolo Di Nardo\’s children

Thanks a memorandum of understanding, INAIL has made available to me more than 10 m3 of medical products, I am going to deliver to the Rehabilitation Centre in Goma. I want to thank INAIL, as well as the Montesacro Association for having paid so a huge economic effort to collect from Lazio Region that precious amount of medical good.

To help us setting our hopes on a better future, I wish you a swahili traditional greeting: Jambo Kwa Wote.

Salvatore Cimmino