The regional leaders of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) met at the Italian Adventist University "Villa Aurora" in Florence, in the third week of May, for the ADRA Europe Program Directors’ Forum. They came from Germany, Serbia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, and the United Kingdom; representatives of ADRA International from the United States were also present.
The topics and points of reflection were many: from sharing technical expertise between the various offices to updates on the difficult situation of the war in Ukraine and the actions in place for the reception of refugees and displaced persons.
"We spent some moments of evaluation looking back at the past, asking ourselves how the pandemic situation, which has affected the entire world over the last two years, was dealt with and how this may have changed ADRA's working and operational methods," reported a representative of the humanitarian agency in Italy. "We emphasized the importance of working on awareness-raising campaigns to safeguard the rights of all. ADRA can and must give a voice to those who live in vulnerability. In particular, one of the rights we support globally is the right to education.”
Volunteering was another focus of the meeting. It is a key aspect of the active involvement of civil society. "Working alongside churches through volunteers is one of ADRA's goals and [its] mission," explained the representative of the ADRA Italy branch. "[The goal is] to have motivated, trained, and attentive volunteers. There can be transversal models of volunteering from administration to direct action in projects or churches. Of paramount importance is the connection of volunteers with ADRA's mission: to alleviate people's vulnerability."
"This meeting leaves, in the heart of ADRA Italy, the desire to share and support the international challenges of a society that travels at a fast pace, but [it’s a desire] which challenges us to intervene with timely actions of care and attention for those who risk being left behind," the ADRA Italy representative concluded.
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