www.Michael Reale.it

SOCIAL PROJECTS
CAMERUN Project and Michael Reale

The aim of this project is to build in time for the 2006 in the northern Cameroon a rehabilitation center for people with physical disability, and to form a 16 person staff from Cameroon for the medical rehabilitation. This would be actuated by the AIAS in Afragola, thanks to a partnership between this specialized center, which is located in Campania , and the Government of Africa.

This is the first time in the history of the socio-politics that an agreement is taken directly between an Association and the head of the Government. This seems to be an incredible and very satisfying goal, if you consider that the whole thing has started from the northern Naples , a place which is known particularly for its high level of criminality. Also, the project concerns the problem of physical handicaps, which seems to be often forgotten.

The project starts from the AIAS in Afragola: this is a no-profit, admired association born in the Southern Italy , which works on the rehabilitation and reintegration of handicapped.

It works in association with the ASL NA3 and the regional apparatus; it lends ambulatory rehabilitations, at domicile and in groups. It also organizes refresher

courses for specialization and professional formation, not only for the staff. Furthermore, it promotes sport activities for people affected by handicaps (its basketball team on wheelchair is very clever) and wishes to reach a more widely cultural awareness of the diversity.

'Project Cameroon ' is born from the visit to the AIAS of two clever missioners from Pine, who were acting in Cameroon . They both admired the excellent organization and the efficiency of this center, and asked the president Ciro Salzano to realize a project to help the numerous people affected by physical handicaps in Northern Cameroon . This is why, in 2001, the AIAS sent a group of volunteers to verify the conditions of that Region: the impact was anguishing for the total lack of rehabilitative centers and for the high number of physical handicaps also caused by road accidents or by the lack of safety at work. Thus, the head of the Government of Cameroon have kindly handed the terrain at no cost, to build the center without paying tax. Obviously, it was no possible to realize this project without personnel, this is why soon the need arrived to form at least 16 people in Italy , to allow them to return home with a complete specialization. After a long bureaucratic iter, the agreement was signed on the 17 th of May 2002, between the AIAS of Afragola and the Govenrment of the Cameroon (in the person of the Minister Mikael Tabon Kima) to find a faster way to get a more effective result. This agreement, unique to the world, has been signed the last summer and then firmed by the Cameroon Government and the Afragola AIAS.

I have decided to collaborate actively with this project by promoting the initiative and the collection of funds to allow this happen. The collection is already active. You may send your own help to:

-C/C Bancario N 1/23 ABI 1030 CAB 39690 object 'Progetto Camerun'

-Banca Monte Paschi Siena, Ag. di Afragola Corso Garibaldi C/C Postale nr. 33485830 object "Progetto Camerun"

www.aiasdiafragola.it.