Do you have questions?

+39 0376 920464

Euro
Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

Donation Total: $10.00

COOPERATIVE SOCIAL EMERGENCY TRANSPORT POBIC

Category News

August 10

Ukraine, the Acqua Viva project reaches the communities of Kharkiv: 1,089 personal hygiene kits distributed

Ukraine: The Acqua Viva Project Reaches Communities in Kharkiv. As of June 30, four out of ten kits had been prioritized for people in particularly vulnerable situations and in need, including people with disabilities and the elderly. When a war drags on, international attention risks waning before the needs of the population are met. For those living in the Kharkiv region, however, the emergency is not just a distant news story. It continues to affect daily life, access to essential goods, and the ability to care for oneself with dignity. It is in this context that the Acqua Viva 04/UCr/13157/2026 project continues, funded by AICS Kiev and implemented with the direct participation of the NGO POBIC. As of June 30, 1,089 personal hygiene kits had been distributed to communities in the Kharkiv region. This tangible result marks the transition from the availability of aid to its actual distribution throughout the region. From 15 metric tons of supplies to distribution in communities In the previous update on the Acqua Viva project, POBIC reported the arrival in Kharkiv of approximately 15 metric tons of personal hygiene products.   The latest data documents the next phase of the intervention: the received supplies were organized into kits and progressively distributed to the target communities. This is not merely a matter of quantifying the aid delivered. Each distribution represents a response to a daily need that, in a situation of war and displacement, can become difficult to meet. Four out of ten kits went to the most vulnerable people. 40% of the distributed kits were prioritized for people in particularly vulnerable situations and in need, including people with disabilities and the elderly. Allocation was based on an assessment of specific needs, so as to direct support toward those who may face greater difficulties in independently accessing essential goods. This is a key element of the project: not an indiscriminate distribution, but an intervention that takes into account the circumstances of individual people and the inequalities that war tends to exacerbate. For an older adult or a person with a disability, in fact, the disruption of services, the loss of support networks, and difficulties with mobility can make it even more challenging to obtain even the items needed for daily care. Behind every number is a person. Help POBIC continue to stand by the Ukrainian people. PEOPLE REACHED 0 M PERSONAL HYGIENE KITS 0 KITS DISTRIBUTED 0 % Personal hygiene is a matter of health and dignity. In a humanitarian emergency, personal hygiene products may seem less urgent than other forms of aid. In reality, they help protect health, prevent health problems, and preserve people’s dignity. Being able to wash and care for one’s body means maintaining an essential part of one’s daily life, even when war has disrupted routines, relationships, and certainties.   The value of the Acqua Viva project also lies in this: recognizing that humanitarian assistance is not just about survival, but also about the right to live in conditions that are as safe and dignified as possible. Essential Aid in an Ongoing Crisis More than four years after the start of the large-scale invasion, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine remains extremely severe. According to the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for 2026, approximately 10.8 million people in the country still need humanitarian assistance. In this context, the distribution of 1,089 kits represents a limited but necessary intervention. It demonstrates how collaboration between humanitarian organizations, on-the-ground workers, and institutions can transform resources and materials into effective support for communities. A kit cannot restore what the war has taken away. However, it can help protect a part of a person’s daily life, health, and dignity. And it is also through concrete actions like this that POBIC continues to stand by the Ukrainian people. The photographs accompanying this update are simple, unstaged, and far removed from the aesthetics typically associated with fundraising campaigns. Their value, however, lies precisely in their authenticity. Security conditions did not allow POBIC staff to travel to the areas affected by the distribution.   Access was not authorized because it would have required extraordinary protective measures and procedures in a part of the Kharkiv region that has been subjected to systematic bombardment since April.

READ MORE

July 3

A concrete gesture of solidarity arises from a show

A School Event Leads to a Concrete Act of Solidarity: The families of the Stefano Magri Elementary School in Vescovato have turned the end of the school year into a form of support that will last over time. There are times when an educational message transcends the stage and becomes a concrete act of solidarity. This is exactly what happened at the Stefano Magri Elementary School in Vescovato, where the students concluded the school year with a performance inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s *The Little Prince*. The musical, which involved all the school’s classes, served as the culmination of a program dedicated to friendship, responsibility toward others, and the value of bonds. POBIC volunteers and the organization’s president, Paolo Novellini, also attended the event. From Words to Tangible Help The families“ participation sparked a spontaneous fundraiser, which made it possible to set up a long-distance sponsorship program for a child supported by POBIC. This gesture, born within a school community, has the power to reach far and provide tangible support for a child’s growth. This initiative demonstrates how solidarity can be taught not only through words, but above all through experiences. Children, teachers, and families worked together to transform the values conveyed during the performance into a real choice of compassion and responsibility. POBIC thanks the Stefano Magri Elementary School, the teachers, the students, and all the families who participated in and supported the initiative. Every gesture, even when it originates from a small community, can become the beginning of a story capable of changing a life. Read the full story and testimonials in the article published by *La Provincia di Cremona*. To learn about POBIC’s programs and find out how to sponsor a child, visit the page dedicated to long-distance sponsorships. News source: Antonella Bodini, ”From the Show to Long-Distance Sponsorship: The Great Gesture of Solidarity by the Elementary School Parents,” La Provincia di Cremona, June 29, 2026. Text independently rewritten by POBIC based on the original news article and information regarding the organization’s activities. THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, WE SAVE THE LIVES OF DOZENS OF CHILDREN EVERY YEAR. HELP US DO EVEN MORE. Countries 0 Children operated on 0 Children examined 0 +

READ MORE

February 18

Congolese Refugees in Uganda: Analysis of Humanitarian Needs in Refugee Settlements

Congolese Refugees in Uganda: Needs Assessment in Refugee Camps In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the provinces of North and South Kivu have been experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis for years, caused by a protracted armed conflict and the advance of the M23 rebel group. The situation has worsened further in recent years, with an intensification of fighting between the M23 and Congolese government forces, particularly in the Rutshuru and Lubero areas of North Kivu, extending as far as the border regions with South Kivu. This escalation of violence has caused one of the largest population displacements in Africa, with thousands of people forced to flee their homes to escape the fighting, endure violence, and face daily insecurity. The Collaboration Between POBIC Uganda and Oxfam Uganda The crisis has exacerbated the vulnerability of local communities, worsening difficulties in accessing basic services, fueling food insecurity, and placing significant strain on humanitarian assistance systems. It is within this context that POBIC Uganda and Oxfam Uganda conducted a needs assessment aimed at gaining a firsthand understanding of the living conditions of Congolese refugees and host communities in Uganda. Rapid Needs Assessments in Major Refugee Settlements. The initiative involves conducting Rapid Needs Assessments in Uganda’s major refugee settlements, with the goal of gaining a direct and structured understanding of the needs of refugees and host communities.  The initiative focuses on some of the country’s most significant refugee settlements, which collectively host over 371,000 refugees, broken down as follows: 1) 150,000 refugees in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement 2) approximately 129,000 refugees in the Kyaka II Refugee Settlement 3) 92,000 refugees in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. Approximately 60% of the refugee population is under 18 years of age. Through direct meetings with refugees and local stakeholders, the joint work of POBIC Uganda and Oxfam Uganda aims to gather qualitative and quantitative information on: living conditions in the camps and surrounding areas; challenges related to social and economic integration; access to essential public services; challenges shared by refugees and host communities. The needs assessment goes beyond identifying immediate emergencies; it builds a solid foundation for sustainable and inclusive interventions capable of addressing the needs of all stakeholders involved. Strengthening public services and social cohesion. One of the central objectives of the collaboration is to improve public services, both for refugee populations and for the Ugandan communities hosting them. In contexts characterized by high pressure on services, working in an integrated manner is essential to: reduce the risk of social tensions; foster peaceful coexistence; and promote models of shared local development. Rapid Needs Assessment activities therefore represent a key step in guiding future humanitarian and development actions, based on real data and on listening to the people directly involved. A long-term commitment on the ground. The collaboration between POBIC Uganda and Oxfam Uganda underscores the importance of a participatory and community-based approach, in which needs assessment becomes a practical tool for developing more effective, equitable, and sustainable responses to the challenges posed by humanitarian crises.

READ MORE

February 3

Thoughts and Colors: a creative competition for schools that talks about solidarity

Thoughts and Colors: A Creative Contest for Schools That Celebrates Solidarity. Thoughts and Colors is an educational project for schools that invites children to express, through drawing, an idea of solidarity, happiness, or collaboration. It’s an opportunity to turn a drawing into a message and transform children’s creativity into a gesture of solidarity.   The selected drawings will feature on the official POBIC 2026 T-shirt, turning creativity into a tangible symbol of social commitment. How the Contest Works The “Thoughts and Colors” contest is a creative contest for schools, open to classes that decide to participate through their school. In summary: children create a drawing on the theme of solidarity; the entries are submitted to POBIC according to the procedures outlined in the rules; the drawings are published on POBIC’s official channels; and online voting begins. Each drawing is signed by the artist and is recognizable, precisely because it is intended to be shared and voted on. The online voting phase: how it works and why it’s so important. Starting March 16, 2026, the online voting phase of the “Pensieri e Colori” contest will officially begin. Starting on that date, a page dedicated to voter registration will be active: once registered, users will be redirected to a Facebook group dedicated to the contest, created specifically to host the voting. Within the group, users will be able to: view all the drawings in the contest; find the entries organized by participating classes and schools; and cast their vote in a simple and transparent way. Voting will remain open until May 10, 2026. A vote that counts double: involving families and friends The voting phase is one of the most significant moments of the project, because it transforms the contest into a collective and shared experience. Parents, family members, friends, and acquaintances are invited to participate actively: by voting on the drawings, sharing the project, and supporting the message of solidarity expressed by the children. Every vote is a concrete gesture of support for creativity, the school’s educational commitment, and the values that “Pensieri e Colori” aims to convey. Participating in the voting means valuing the children’s work and amplifying the message they have chosen to share. What Happens After Voting? At the end of online voting on May 10, 2026, the three drawings with the most votes from each school will advance to the next phase of the contest, moving closer to the final selection and the awards ceremony. Voting is therefore not just a technical step, but a key moment that can make all the difference. From Voting to the Final Awards Ceremony The best entries will be: collected in their original form and displayed during the POBIC National Festival; evaluated by a selected jury. The winning design will be printed on the official POBIC 2026 T-shirt. The school of the winning class will also receive a donation of 1,000 euros, to be used at its discretion for educational projects. Cast your vote starting March 16, 2026. Download the rules

READ MORE