Sustainable and environmentally friendly health projects in developing countries: “Progetto Sorriso nel Mondo” onlus. Our experience

Abstract

Dear editor, ‘‘Progetto Sorriso nel Mondo’’ is an International Association of volunteers founded in 1997 in reply to a request for help of some Xaverian Missionaries, operating in Bangladesh. In developing countries, a facial deformity leads to a complete social impairment and often to marginalize children and their mothers. These malformations are some of the most common congenital defects in the world, affecting an average of one child every thousand born. In Western countries, these deformities are treated in the earlier few months of life of the newborn with good esthetic results: this could make many people believe these diseases do not exist any more. In underdeveloped countries, there is often lack of experience and resources to correct them, that is why most of times they are not treated properly. In Bangladesh, our Association has developed a highly specialized surgical task, treating thousands of children with facial deformities and burns, according to a model of health intervention which has been designed from the beginning to be simple, environmentally sustainable, effective and low cost. This is made possible due to our volunteers: doctors, nurses and specialized staff that constantly provide to the Association their skills and knowledge. In 2003, after 6 years, the voluntary group chose to give itself a legal form that allows the creation and expansion of the surgical activity. That was the beginning of the International Association ‘‘Progetto Sorriso nel Mondo—ONLUS. Indeed, the Xaverian Fathers hospital in Bangladesh, represented only the first experience of volunteering for ‘‘Progetto Sorriso’’. With many surgical teams that alternate throughout the year, the Association allows to treat a bigger number of young patients coming from countries nearby Khulna, the city where the Hospital Santa Maria Sick Assistance is placed. Recently the Association, due to a fixed organization and to the experience gained over the years, has improved its efforts in Africa and South America. In 2005 and 2006 we worked in Burundi, at the Provincial Hospital of Bubanza, in collaboration with Fima (Italian Foundation Doctors for Africa). In 2007, we improved our work with some surgical activity at Gitega hospital, in the heart of country. In this Hospital, we powered an operating center with the cooperation of the Honorary Consul of Burundi in Italy, Coll. Gianni Catelli. In 2008, during the 4th mission in Africa, ‘‘Progetto Sorriso nel Mondo’’ started an important cooperation with the Hopital General de Reference d’Uvira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This could be possible due to the relations developed over the years by the Xaverian Missionaries with the Little Sisters Daughters of the Holist Hearts of Jesus and Mary of Parma and with E. Ardito (&) Scuola di Specializzazione in Chirurgia Maxillo-Facciale UNIMIB, Monza, Italy e-mail: emanuela.ardito@gmail.com