What we do

“Non siete soli”: beside the elderly made vulnerable by the pandemic

Thanks to the donation of food parcels, this project supported older people that were affected by the Covid crisis, together with the Comunità di Sant’Egidio, Fondazione Campagna Amica and Coldiretti

A small, tangible gesture of help and support

In 2021, the “Non siete soli” project promoted by Eni Foundation in partnership with the Comunità di Sant’Egidio ACAP non-profit organization, Fondazione Campagna Amica and Coldiretti returned with the aim of delivering 4600 food parcels to the homes of over-70s in Milan, Rome and Naples who, with no support network to fall back on, found themselves in situations of extreme difficulty following the pandemic.

Press note |Covid Crisis: return of the “Non siete soli” initiative dedicated to vulnerable older people

Context

The initiative helped the elderly cope with the impact of the economic and social consequences of the pandemic on poverty levels. Many older people who were initially able to handle the challenges and expenses connected with the early months of the health emergency were later struggling to pay their household bills and purchase essential food items and products. All of this left them in situations of extreme hardship and isolation.

Target

The Covid-19 emergency showed how support and assistance networks are even more important in Italy today for combating the solitude and isolation of the most vulnerable categories of society, such as the elderly.
In the cities selected, the estimate count of people over 70 was 1,091,258: 256,391 in Milan, 138,608 in Naples and as many as 696,259 in Rome. Around 50% of these, over 544,000 people, were estimated to be living in poverty and in danger of being unable to provide for themselves. Some lived in institutions or nursing homes, others lived with their families and were dependent on social services. Many elderly in poverty lived in solitude. The “Non siete soli” project focused on them.

Objectives

The initiative had a dual goal:

to meet the basic needs of people in difficulty with emergency and support measures, delivering 4600 x 12 kg food parcels of various different non-perishable products to ensure that the user was able to eat healthily;
to facilitate the creation of support networks for vulnerable and isolated pensioners with actions and gradual processes designed to improve their standard of living by providing them with comprehensive information on existing social services and opportunities.

First initiatives of the “Non siete soli” project in 2020-2021

The “Non siete soli” project began in December 2020 with an initial programme aimed at 6700 over-80s in Milan, Naples and Rome. Suffering from poverty and social isolation, these elderly people, who resided in their own homes and had no support network, were the recipients of 20,000 food parcels. This Eni Foundation initiative was possible thanks to the expert assistance of NPO Comunità di Sant’Egidio ACAP, together with Fondazione Campagna Amica and Coldiretti. The project lasted five months and involved the delivery of food parcels to homes in three periods: the first distribution on 21 December 2020, the second in February 2021 and the third in the period between March and April 2021. In the three cities chosen for the initiative there were over 380,000 over-80s, 5% of whom lived in extreme poverty. A total of 19,000 elderly people were in danger of being unable to provide for themselves. Some of these lived in institutions or nursing homes while others lived at home where they received the support of social services. However, another part, amounting to 6700 particularly vulnerable people, lived in poverty and had no support network to help them: this was where “Non siete soli” came in.
The non-profit organization Comunità di Sant’Egidio ACAP had already identified these people when mapping the target areas during the pandemic emergency, meaning that the project could be launched immediately. Having assisted over 20,000 elderly people resident in the selected cities since 2004, where it carries out specific assistance programmes, the NPO was able to determine the needs of those who had been economically affected by the consequences of the pandemic and define the potential number of beneficiaries who, more specifically, lived in suburban neighbourhoods or the most disadvantaged districts: 2000 elderly people in Corvetto and Volta/Sarpi in Milan, 1000 in the Sanità and San Giovanni a Teduccio districts in Naples, 3700 in the large eastern suburbs (Tor Bella Monaca, San Basilio, etc.) and the district-town of Ostia in Rome. The food parcels were delivered to homes by the social workers and volunteers of Sant’Egidio who, having assisted these people for years, knew them well and had developed a relationship based on trust with them.
The distributions took place in three different periods, the first before Christmas with the others following at 2-month intervals (February 2021-March/April 2021).
In those five months 20,000 food parcels were delivered to those in need with each pensioner receiving an average of three parcels. As well as containing various non-perishable food products, each food parcel, weighing around 12 kilos and designed to ensure that recipients were able to follow a healthy diet, was supplemented with individual protective face masks.

Initiatives for children and adolescents

“Non siete soli” continued in 2021 with additional initiatives to help socially disadvantaged children and adolescents with food disorders, providing an emergency response to the economic vulnerability and psychological distress felt within this age group. Carried out in collaboration with Società Italiana di Pediatria (SIP), the Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta (CISOM), Fondazione Banco Alimentare and Caritas Ambrosiana, the project involved Italy’s three biggest cities, Milan, Rome and Naples, together with Ravenna, Gela, Taranto and Porto Torres.

Press release | Covid Crisis: The “Non siete soli” initiative continues

The project and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development

Like the other projects it has carried out across the world, this Eni Foundation initiative is inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda. In particular: Goal 1, Zero Poverty (End poverty in all its forms everywhere); Goal 2, Zero Hunger (End hunger, achieve food security).