Via dell'Osservanza 35/2
40136 Bologna
Italy
- Democracy and community development
- Environment/Sustainable development
- Human rights
OUR VISION
We would like to see a better world, fairer and more supportive than the one we witness everyday. We try to contribute to building it through the respect and the promotion of the rights of the communities in which we work, within a vision of dignity, exchange and reciprocity.
OUR MISSION
We believe in a heightened awareness, in each person’s ability to see the world through different eyes and to learn that, in a deeply connected Global North and South, respect for others and for the environment is nothing other than respect for one’s self.
We work with individuals, civil society organizations, local institutions and governments, so that everyone can take care of their own present and future, building a culture of autonomy and cooperation which fosters the freedom and independence of communities.
We fight against poverty and injustice to guarantee vulnerable communities the access to water, food, health, education and work. We aim to develop critical thinking and challenge stereotypes to sustain the change towards a fairer and more sustainable world. Specifically, we work with people who are often the most disadvantaged in their communities: women, children and persons with disabilities.
GVC implements multi-sector programs useful in helping to remove the causes of poverty and allowing each person to enjoy their basic human rights: right to food (13 projects), right to water and sanitation (7 projects), right to health (3 projects), right to decent work and participation in social and economic life through fairer development models (9 projects). Recognizing environmental protection as an absolutely necessary condition for reaching these goals, 18 projects in 2014 were dedicated to protecting natural resources and 8 to promoting education towards global citizenship and advocacy activities.
GVC is already a partner of several organisations of the ALF Italian Network and could therefore further contribute to strengthening CSO networks and support their work in the Emilia-Romagna region.
GVC also works in most of the mediterranean countries of the ALF network and has long-standing relations with local organisations and stakeholders. Currently, GVC is implementing several projects in Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. GVC's position, as an Italian Ngo working internationally, can sustain dialogue and improve mutual understanding between communities.
GVC also works in Italy and Europe carrying out Development Education activities, including Terra di Tutti Film Festival, an annual event to feature documentary films on issues concerning international development. For example, in an emergency project to support Syrian families in Lebanon, we included the making of a documentary to explain the current situation of refugees and hosting communities in Lebanon and disseminated the documentary-film both in Lebanon and Italy, in order to improve the perception and relate to the current refugee situation.
Finally, GVC participates in several networks and is part of the Board of Directors of Link 2007 (Cooperation Network – Brings together major Italian NGOs with the aim of boosting the role of NGOs in the promotion of development and cooperation policies at an institutional level) and Concord Italy (Italian division of the CONCORD Europe platform, representative for the European Union for international cooperation and development policies). GVC can ensure a dialogue and participation between these networks and the ALF Network. For example, in 2014, with both platforms, Link 2007 and Concord, we organized several seminars and public events on the subject of Mediterranean relations, peace and migration for the project More and Better Europe during the Italian presidency semester.
GVC would like to join the ALF Network in order to both contribute and benefit from the dialogue, experience and knowledge of the diverse organizations involved and, finally, to support and strengthen Mediterranean CSOs in the promotion of rights and mutual respect.
GVC has been working in Mediterranean countries since the '90's and is currently implementing programmes in 4 different countries in the region to build a favourable environment for democratic and sustainable growth. Specifically, working on capacity-building, good governance, accountability practices and knowledge sharing to improve governance mechanisms, enhancing capacities and establishing networks and alliances among CSOs and other stakeholders.
GVC can also connect its current partners for collaborations with the ALF network and engage members of the network in its activities, in order to become more effective and efficient.