The initiative, carried out by the Salesian "International Volunteering for Development" (VIS) NGO, very active in the South of the world, is dedicated to strengthening the medical dispensary that serves the resident population and a huge and ever-increasing number of refugees who crowd the displaced camp in Goma near the dispensary itself. The project includes a program dedicated to the nutrition of boys and girls from 1 to 5 years old and was launched in October 2023 in agreement with the Claps family, who wanted to honor Elisa's desire to become a doctor and operate in Africa.
In 2024 the project was renewed to adapt it to the growing needs of the population.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the largest countries in Africa, with a population of over 102 million people. It faces serious challenges, with 70% of the population living in conditions of extreme impoverishment, limited access to health services, political instability and serious environmental problems. Added to this is a terrible state of war that particularly affects the eastern regions of the country, where between 100 and 150 armed militias are estimated to be active. Goma, the capital of North Kivu, is the epicentre of clashes between the regular army and the militias, and it is here that the Don Bosco Ngangi centre is located, where a displaced persons camp has been set up that houses 30,000 people who fled the war. The field, right near the centre, extends as far as the eye can see. Cholera and hunger are the main enemies and almost 90% of young children suffer from malnutrition.
Thanks to "The Heart of Elisa in the Heart of Africa" project and the fundraising that the solidarity network set up by the VIS and the Claps family has been carrying out for over a year, it will be possible to set up a waiting room and buy new machinery, thus managing to strengthen the medical dispensary of the Don Bosco Ngangi centre in Goma, which currently provides essential medical care to thousands of people every day. Due to the recent escalation of clashes, the consequent security problems and the large influx of displaced people, needs have multiplied and new emergencies have emerged, including intervention focused on girls and boys from 1 to 5 years of age who show early signs of malnutrition and on pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The waiting room where patients wait to be treated every day will be renovated and equipped, and will bear the name of Elisa. Thanks to the project, every day the recipients of the intervention will be able to receivean enriched protein food (corn, wheat and soy) in the morning, as well as basic medicines and, if necessary, also milk, as well as a solid meal.
"We are honoured and grateful that our organisation can be a tool through which to bring some light to a dark story such as that of Elisa Claps, more than thirty years after her death " said Michela Vallarino President of the VIS. "In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world, where VIS has been operating since 2002, the memory of this young life broken and of all the suffering that her murder brought will turn into life expectancy for many girls and boys in Goma and for their families."
On Thursday 12 September, at the same time in Potenza and Goma, two events related to the project will be held. The Potenza event from 8.00 pm at the Francesco Stabile municipal theatre and will focus on the presentation of the project. In addition to Elisa's brother, Gildo Claps, Gianmarco Saurino, the actor who played Gildo in the RAI film "Per Elisa - Il caso Claps", the municipal administration that sponsored the event, representatives of VIS and the "Libera Potenza" association will also participate. At the same time, a plaque named after Elisa Claps and the project will be installed in the waiting room in Goma.
"I really wanted to be there in person" said Gildo Claps, "but what matters is that Elisa's dream finally comes to life. To welcome the many who will need it, there will be you and the many friends who over the years have kept her memory alive and shared the desire to give themselves to others. Today in Goma, Elisa's heart beats again after a silence of 30 years."
For more information about the project, visit: https://www.volint.it/il-cuore-di-elisa-nel-cuore-dell-africa
