Specchio dei tempi returns to the field against Coronavirus. In the last weeks, requests for public assistance have become pressing again for the many ambulance services that provide transport for the sick to and from hospitals, to and from medical tents, to and from intensive care. We were ready because we hadn’t excluded the possibility of a second wave of the epidemic so we had set aside about 150,000 face masks and other PPE items during the summer. We have stepped up deliveries of supplies to health professionals following continued requests for help. In recent days ambulance services have come under pressure and we have been able to respond.
The first delivery has been made to the Green Cross of Villastellone, one of the most active organizations in the area, also engaged in the city of Turin. “As in any emergency – explained the president of Specchio dei tempi, Lodovico Passerin d’Entreves – our foundation makes itself available to the community. Ours can be a small help in the face of a great tragedy, but the commitment will always be maximum ensuring the highest speed of intervention, compatibly with the resources available”.
Then the Maria Vittoria and Martini hospitals have been supplied with Pulse oximeters. Two hundred face masks have been given to the volunteers of Telefono Rosa, who work against violence towards women, often in difficult situations in hospitals. Specchio dei tempi has also provided 1000 face masks and 30 high-protection water-repellent suits to the White Cross of Ceva.
In the first wave of the epidemic, Specchio dei tempi raised almost 11 million euros, constantly supplying Piedmontese hospitals and public assistance services for months with over 1 million protective devices, hundreds of pieces of equipment, ultrasound scanners, ventilators, as well as two CAT scanners. Specchio also distributed over 18,000 food packages to as many families and elderly people in difficulty and over 1000 tablets to poor schoolchildren to facilitate distance learning. Specchio also hired a Boeing to allow the arrival, from Havana to Turin, of the group of 40 Cuban doctors and nurses who worked in the Covid emergency hospital in Turin.
The new A&E area of the Mauriziano hospital lacked a defibrillator and Specchio dei tempi immediately intervened with Piemonte Cuore (thanks to Marcello Segre) providing the department with one of our spare automatic defibrillators.
by Barbara Cottavoz, from La Stampa of 14 September
“This competition saved my life: during the lockdown I lost all my work commitments and I could no longer study due to the sadness of the situation the world was going through.” Tianyi Lu, 30, is the winner of the Cantelli Prize for conductors. She is the new heiress of the Novara maestro who died in a plane crash in Orly in 1956. Small and tough, she was born in China, lived for a decade in New Zealand where part of her family is, spent confinement in England alone and in June moved to The Hague but she also speaks a little Italian. She is conductor in residence at the Welsh National Opera and the St Woolos Symphony in the UK and, until last December, she was assistant conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. On Sunday, at the Cantelli prizegiving, Tianyi Lu also won the Orchestra Prize of the Teatro Regio Torino and the Youth Prize awarded by a jury of students and artistic writers to conduct a concert at the Coccia Theatre Foundation and one at the Teatro Regio Torino.
Did you already know the maestro Guido Cantelli?
“I discovered his story many years ago and it struck me a lot. When I learned of the online competition, I decided to sign up. It was not a competition with others but with myself: I was in a very sad moment”
What did this award mean?
“For me, the Cantelli Prize meant hope for the future after difficult months in which the pandemic had caused the cancellation of all my engagements and I wasn’t even able to read music, I saw everything black. When they invited me, I tried to get to know Turin and Novara better and I was very struck by the courage with which this region was fighting the pandemic. So, from the start, I decided that if I won I would donate part of the prize to charity”.
Who did you choose?
“I decided to donate to the “Specchio dei tempi” foundation because it supports the elderly and people in need. In this difficult moment, we need to help each other. It is natural to be afraid but we must not give up hope”.
What was the best aspect of this experience?
“I loved the orchestra of the Teatro Regio: its musicians are very generous and friendly and I found myself in total harmony with them. I felt at home”.
You seem to dance on the podium…
“When I get on the podium I feel like a child playing with music and discovering its infinite possibilities. Every time I go on a journey with the orchestra to discover this wonder. Music and art must survive, without them we risk forgetting who we are”.
Specchio dei tempi has always helped the Piedmont population, especially during the most difficult times. La Stampa Foundation has in fact decided to open a new subscription in favour of the citizens of the areas that have been struck, on the 2nd and 3rd October, by the violents floods.
For the Foundation this is a sad tradition as, back in 1994, we raised over 25 billions of Italian liras to help the flood victims of the area of Tanaro.
Once the subscription was launched, the response from private individuals has been quick and extremely generous. In addition, the Foundation has made available 50,000 euros, this will make sure that the first interventions can be done in the next hours. In the meantime, the first site inspections have been done in the different territories and we have located a series of possible interventions that can be done. The final decision will be also determined by the result of the fundraising that is currently open.
We will pay particular attention to the schools and communities, in order to help the social life and the community to get back on their feet.
Some of these areas aren’t new to Specchio: in Ceva for example, we are considering the reconstruction of the Training Centre and the kindergarden, both taken away from the flood. Including the reconstruction of the Tanaro pedestrian bridge, which was reconstructed by specchio back in 1994.
We are considering to intervene in the multi structure in the Gurei Park where the civil protection has the headquarters. Garessio is also an area of interest, as many commercial businesses have been destroyed by the water.
We are also willing to help the Pollicino playground of Ormea (known as “the children’s city”) and the nearby camping area. At Limone Piedmont we wish to help reconstruct the central roman road, heart of the city.
In order to do all of these things we need your help. You can donate online just here or on our Global Giving project.
The elderly in nursing homes, cancer and Alzheimer patients, children and young people with disabilities. When they see the dogs of the association “Aslan – The bond with the animals” arrive, everyone suddenly smiles. And they let themselves be carried away by the enthusiasm of Noah, Patch, Tsar, Holly and Rhum, extraordinary dogs that together with the companions, veterinarians and educators, are the leaders of our pet therapy. A project coordinated by the pedagogist Antonia Tarantini, which Specchio dei tempi started in 2015 in the hospices and today includes various initiatives all financed by the foundation.
The recipe is always the same: pampering, complicity and professionals who guide dogs in their work. We are present in nursing homes in Turin, in the north of Italy, where we have brought relief to over a thousand elderly people. We are present in the Alzheimer Cafés of the city, where we involve the sick and their families who seek moments of serenity in these help centres. We are at the Istituto di Candiolo, an international reference for cancer research and treatment: here we carry out support activities for patients undergoing chemotherapy, an operation conducted with scientific rigor, in line with the precise indications of the Ministry of Health. Above all we are in 15 schools (from kindergarten to high school), to offer students with special needs an hour of games and affection every week. The meetings are individual and for each pupil Aslan defines a training course together with the teachers and the parents.
Our “Pet School” didn’t stop even during the Coronavirus Emergency, because we know that the support of the dogs for these families is essential. We therefore found new premises, to overcome the impasse of closed schools and continue to give hope.
In Sri Lanka, in the hinterland of Matara, about 12 kilometres from the coast, Specchio dei tempi built a village immediately after the 2004 tsumani. Five family homes, a medical centre, the small office building: initially it was used to give assistance to those who had suffered serious trauma and fractures in the tsunami. However, after a few years these needs ceased and, in agreement with the Sinhalese government and the Court of Matara, we decided to convert the facilities into a shelter for unfortunate girls. Thus, for over 8 years, we have been hosting girls who have experienced abuse and abandonment. It is our commitment against violence against women: a concrete project that we deal with on a daily basis, not just on the day of the “red shoes”.
Today there are about twenty girls living in the family homes that we are modernizing. Specchio dei tempi supports completely the economic weight of the initiative which, in practice, is carried out by the Buddhist monks of the Oba Mama Association, led by Reverend Ratanasare, the spiritual leader of southern Sri Lanka.
We have also been supporting the Matara Orphanage for three years. That is, an orphanage run by Buddhist monks on a court order. It currently hosts 13 children, more than half of whom are under 6 years old. All of them have different stories to tell but all dramatic. From the child who lost both parents struck by cancer, to the one who never had parents, to the one who was abandoned in the hospital by his family only because he was sick, to another who suffered violence, to others who were simply “street children” who have been given a roof. When the Japanese foundation that supported this orphanage ended its business, we were there. We didn’t feel like leaving these 13 children and teenagers alone. So we help them. If you want, you can do it too, with us.
10 million euros raised. This is an incredible record as this is the most conspicuous fundraising organized by a private foundation in Italy. Sara is the name of the donor that has brought our subscription to exceed the 10 million of euros. This outstanding milestone has been possible thanks to almost 16.000 single donations also thanks to the many donors who have tipped in from over 100 countries. We cannot forget about the multimillionaire contributions that have been done by Lavazza and the Agnelli family.
Specchio’s team took action immediately in the first week of March in the healthcare sector. We committed to help doctors and nurses in distress during the violent emergency. Our focus was on finding PPE materials and other medical equipment that have all of a sudden become impossible to find. During the 60 days following the subscription, we have donated two CT machines and 146 avantgard machineries and equipments for 19 hospitals in the Piedmont Region. These include 68 pulmonary ultrasounds and monitors, 41 bed for the intensive care units, 27 equipments for the different units, 6 software instruments, 2 radiology systems. We have also supplied 1.013.752 PPEs that inclus, masks, coats, gloves, goggles, visors and she covers for 136 healthcare structures.
This intervention has absorbed almost half of our resources, while the rest of it has been strategically divided within different sectors such as the schools,the families and elderly in need. In the education sector, we took concrete action by donating one thousand tablets to 30 schools in Turin. This initiative was thought to help those children in need to keep up with the program and stay connected. We have also donated 300 sanitizing kits and billboards with the safety instructions to the schools in order make sure that they are ready to welcome the students back.
On a social scale we have assisted, together with the staff of our front office Specchio Point, thousand of families and elderly in need. In March we have started organizing the distribution of numerous grocery bags that have been delivered directly on the doorstep of these families. This project is now evolving into the project of Specchio d’Italia.Thanks to the contribution of Reale Group and the Group Cassa di Risparmio di Asti, we will continue with this service in 18 cities in 5 different Italian regions. In the next weeks we’ll be distributing up to 16.800 grocery bags.
Given the situation it is essential for us that our territory gets back on track. This is why we have, together with the contribution of Reale Mutua, launched a grant to help 220 small business in the area of Turin. The same initiative was thought for Cuneo, in the world known Langhe area, together with the support of the local banks and enterprises. The support that has and keeps on arriving from abroad is still incredible. The Intelligent Change of Los Angeles, California, by selling planners online, have donated 3575 US dollars in favor of Specchio dei tempi. Donations keep on arriving from Germany, Bangor (Maine), Norway. All with different amounts but always accompanied by words of support.
In 100 days the foundation has raised over 200 thousand euros from 67 different countries from all over the world. To name some: Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Spain, Norway, South Africa, Brazil, Canada Japan, India and Iraq. This is probably due to the 65 years of tradition dedicated to hard work in helping in case of natural disasters all over the world, but also thanks to the contagious solidarity that has been spread on the internet. Our website, in fact, has been translated not only in english, but also in chinese. This gave us a chance to tell our story also in China and touch the hearts of many generous people who have donated over 10 thousand euros. Germany and the UK have been, up to now, the most generous countries after the United States who have reached almost 600 donations and 90 thousand euros mostly through the Global Giving platform. This sums up to 10% of our donors.
What has touched our hearts is not only the outstanding numbers, but the words arriving from all over the globe. Forbes has listed Specchio as number one Onlus Foundation for donations in Italy. Which is a great honor. We can’t get enough of the incredible heartfelt messages that we keep on receiving from the donors that are doing the best they can to help. Ali Said has done what he could by donating 2 euros accompanied by a sweet message: “I wish I could do more but I am a poor man from Turkey with a minimum salary”. A man from Thailand sent s a heartwarming letter: “Dear Italians, I am sending you love, light and hugs. Especially to the sick, to those who have lost their dear ones during the pandemic and all of those who are fighting daily against this virus”. Salam promises to send 600 euros from Bahrain and says: “Don’t ever think that the world is turning their back on you. We are here to support you in the best way possible. Stay strong Italy, you’ll win against Covid”.
Since 2018, Specchio dei tempi has been closer to single mothers, single-parent families with no resources, often forced to survive in complex situations that also involve the children. In evaluating the hundreds of requests for help that we receive every day, it emerged that these families, mostly of foreign origin, are among the most exposed to new poverty. The absence of many of the children’s fathers contributes to making the conditions of often-abandoned mothers unsustainable. An element that more difficulty is the objective difficulty of women, even young people but with children, to find job opportunities.
We have therefore chosen 100 situations on which to intervene. One hundred single parents, from 12 different countries, which we have accompanied on a journey towards autonomy and reaching family well-being. We started with a simple financial contribution, to then expand the “Mothers and children in difficulty” project with shopping vouchers aimed at teaching the responsible use of money. With computer and professional training courses we are encouraging job reintegration. To these activities we have added a counselling desk on problems related to parenting and a programme for the entertainment of children, to offer mothers free breaks, also to help them in their search for a job.
From September 2020, the second cycle of the initiative will open, and the new participants will be involved with a new tailor-made design: each mother will be required to sign an educational pact and to define individual objectives to be achieved with the support of the foundation.
More than three thousand and five hundred euros from America to help Piedmont during Covid-19. This is the amount that Intelligent Change, an American company who crafts marvellous agendas to improve our lives and daily routines, had collected and donated to Fondazione Specchio dei tempi.
During the emergency, Intelligent Change, offered their “positive agendas” discounted, to allow those who have been most severely affected to afford them. Besides, this generous company also offered 10% of its revenues to four non-profit organizations. Among this group, Specchio dei Tempi was the only Italian aid organization to obtain the trust and generosity of this American company.
Fondazione La Stampa – Specchio dei Tempi has been facing emergencies for over 60 years, dealing with social issues both nationally and internationally. Conversely, this year, helps came from abroad. Probably for the love that our country and its inhabitants arouse throughout the world. As a result, thanks to our international donors from 67 countries, we raised over 10 million with which we were able to help our health facilities, families, schools and small businesses during the emergency of Coronavirus.
Specchio dei tempi’s commitment against Covid La Stampa Foundation- Specchio dei tempi is supported by the solidarity of the readers of the newspaper La Stampa and the citizens of Turin. Since 9 March it has been involved in the Coronavirus emergency: over 10 million euros has been collected, with almost 16 thousand donations from all over the world. These resources are converted into concrete and immediate assistance on a daily basis: 1.2 million protective devices for health workers; 150 medical machines and equipment donated to hospitals in Piedmont; tablets, sanitizing kits and online teaching platforms for schools; subsidies for small businesses in Turin and Cuneo. And shopping for thousands of elderly people and families in difficulty, distributed first in Turin and now throughout Italy.
It has happened many times in the last months, and it keeps on happening. 50 dollars from the United States, 1696 euros from Denmark, 20 dollars from New York in memory of “Leonardo, Florence and Peter emigrates from Castelfranco to the Bronx back in 1882”. Alexander, from Moscow, donated 1500 Russian rubles : “It’s not much, but I want to help. Go Italy, don’t give up now!”. This has been going on for the last 3 months, and it keeps on happening. The solidarity that we have received has gone beyond all boundaries. We have received almost 1500 donations from 67 different countries. This is 10% of the total donations (over 15 thousands) that the Foundation has received. All for a total of 9.9 million of euros.
From Guatemala to Bahrein, passing through Argentina, Finland, the Emirate states, Spain, Pakistan, Marocco, Bulgaria, Brazil, Slovakia, France: over 185 thousand euros, together with a warm hug to all of the Italians that are suffering during this tough time, have arrived from abroad. Together with this overwhelming solidarity we, as the Foundation La Stampa Specchio dei tempi, who for 65 years has worked to help different countries, in five continents, after natural disasters, have received further international recognition. When dealing with the pandemic, the entire world has supported our initiatives with small and bigger donation, accompanied by messages of support. You can find these here: specchiodeitempi.org/dediche. “Italy, with her music and movies, has changed my life. It has a special place in my heart therefore I wish to contribute” says Liew from Malaysia. An Eritrean man who lives in Norway has donated 200 euros and stated “I arrived back in 2006 by boat. Thank you for helping me during the toughest time of my life. You are a generous population. I am heartbroken to learn what your country is going through.” 100 euros have arrived from Iraq from Ammar, a doctor. Ali Said has done what he could by donating 2 euros accompanied by a heartwarming message: “I wish I could do more but I am a poor man from Turkey with a minimum salary”.
The home-made marathon Everyone helps as they can. Some people also came up with unique initiatives to raise money in favor of Specchio dei tempi. Andrew Bannon is an example. The Irish speaker who lives in Bavaria, and has organized a marathon in his backyard to raise money in favor of Specchio dei tempi. The result was astonishing: 1000 laps and 2070 euros raised to demonstrate that “Europe is alive”.
Germany and the UK have been, up to now, the most generous countries after the United States. From our statistics we have received 75 donations for both European countries and 161 from the US. On top of that we have received over 400 donations from Global Giving, an institution for the americans.
The website translated in Chinese
Specchio has not only translated its website in English in order to keep all readers up to date, but also in Chinese in order for the Foundation to be know in the far East. This is how we have managed to reach 20 donors in Hong Kong and raised 6445 euros. Beijing has also been very generous as it has donated 60 thousand mask. These have been donated by a number of entrepreneurs that fell in love with the mountains of the Piedmont region.
This flow of donations hasn’t stopped yet. Forbes has listed Specchio as number one Onlus Foundation for donations in Italy. This was mainly due to the great work done on our social media pages but mostly due to the generous hearts of many special souls. The Buddhist monks have donated 10 thousand dollars. Nic Paton, the South African composer, has created a track to support Specchio dei tempi. It starts like this: “ Dedicated to our dear Italians. We are standing by your side”.
During the last two months, Specchio dei tempi has concentrated all of its strengths to help the healthcare unities in the fight against Covid-19, the schools, and the families in economical difficulty. Right now, that our country is slowly awakening from this coma during which many business and families have suffered due to the lack of work. These small enterprises are the beating heart of our Country. Each small business is essential to all of our regions, they highlight all our local products offering unique experiences not only to those to come to visit but also to the local citizens.
This is why Specchio dei tempi has decided to take action by announcing a grant for the small businesses of Piedmont with the goal to help 220 business in the area of Turin. 2.846 local business have requested the grant, and next week we’ll select the winners. 1.1 millions of euros have been dedicated to this project. This means that each of the 220 winning enterprises will receive a grant of 5.000 euros.
Another grant is now available to help the local artisanal and commercial businesses of the area of Cuneo and the Langhe. Up to today we have raised 220 thousands euros that will be divided equally between the winning enterprises.
60 days ago Specchio dei tempi has accepted a new challenge by opening a subscription to help contrast the Coronavirus. This was something completely new, that has never been done before in 65 years of work, and that has marked our history. This time our mission wasn’t to reconstruct things after a calamity, or help someone in a moment of difficulty. This time we had to go and fight a battle. We had to immediately intervene to help those who were fighting in first line, but at the same time we had to keep an eye on the future: on the recovery of the schools and of the daily life of the families, the entire economic activities.
With the healthcare system we worked in perfect harmony. It was clear that the status of the Foundation gave us the opportunity to operate rapidly with the suppliers, compared to the public entities that were slowed down by the bureaucratic contracts and the difficult source of the materials. This is why we decided to start buying personal protection equipment not only from local suppliers, but also contacting companies from abroad like: Taiwan, China, Japan and the rest of Europe.
Our goal was to help our doctors, nurses and responders by supplying them with masks, coast, gloves and goggles, in order for them to do their job in total safety. We have managed to provide 1,2 million PPEs, and distributed them in no-time in the areas on Turin and the Piedmont Region. The materials stayed in our storage for a minimum amount of hours. We covered 19 hospitals and almost 200 public sanitary structures and charity associations. Contemporarily we supplied 2 CT machines, dozens of pulmonary ultrasounds, monitors, beds and furniture for the new intensive care units that were set up to cure the Covid patients.
On thesocial sector, we have donated 5.500 grocery bags to the elderly. Theses have punctually been left on their doorstep to avoid any contact and keep them safe. 1.200 grocery bags were also delivered to the family in need, but this is just the start. We’ll be helping families until the end of the year, together with the staff of our front office, Specchio Point. We aim to help 400 families a month, 3000 families until the end of 2020. Each family will receive an economical help and a grocery bag, that will be delivered at home. This past week we have launched an announcement to help 220 small industries in the area of Turin with a grant of 5000 euros. This initiative was born together with Reale Group and has already gathered over 600 requests.
We haven’t forgot about the schools. 168 sanitizing kits have been delivered in March. 750 tablets have been distributed to the schools to help the children that come from families that live a difficult situation to help them to stay in school. Together with the Agnelli Foundation we launched an e-learning platform. Our job doesn’t stop here. We have printed billboards for schools and public offices with the safety regulations against Covid-19.
Our schedule for the next months is extremely dense. We’ll be concentrating on helping the families and the small businesses with the idea of replicating the grant in other areas of the Region. We’ll also keep a close eye on the healthcare sector and the evolution of the emergency.
Specchio dei tempi has acted as a model. Starting this week Specchio d’Italia will take action. Thanks to the request of some entities that have given us the resources to reproduce our projects also in other regions such as Lombardy, Liguria, Veneto and Friuli. The heart of Specchio dei tempi belongs to Turin and the Region of Piedmont, but we believe that this experience is for all.
One mask has been delivered to the Mauriziano hospital today, by our testimonial Barbara Bonansea, directly to the general manager Maurizio Dall’Acqua. This afternoon, Specchio dei tempi has donated the millionth piece of equipment for personal protection to a hospital. A record for the Foundation of “La Stampa” that for the past 50 days has been working non-stop in the fight against Coronavirus. We have supplied 120 structures with gloves, masks, visors, goggles, coats and shoe-covers in the entire Piedmont Region.
“If you keep supporting us, we’ll be able to continue to distribute aids”, states Barbara Bonansea, who’s operating as a volunteer and helping with the distributions. “Thanks to your help we have managed to work in complete safety, because you have supplied us with equipment that was almost impossible to find” says Dall’Acqua. The subscription has almost reached 9 million of euros, and this morning we have counted over 14 thousand donations. Another important milestone for the historic onlus.
