About us
AINA ETS – Associazione Italiana Nomadi dell’Amore is a volunteer association based in Rome. Since 1993 we have been standing by children in need in the Meru region of Kenya, and since 2010 we have run the Children of the Noon family village (Bimbi del Meriggio) in Nchiru.
1993
by the side of malnourished children at St. Anne’s Hospital, Igoji
2010
the Children of the Noon family village opens in Nchiru
~150
children living in the village today
A meeting between different worlds
Saying who we are is no easy task. We could say that AINA is a union of many layers, a meeting between different worlds and people driven by the same wish: to help and support others. We are many faces who met, and from that meeting a dream was born.
Different cultures meet and come together, where differences become richness, cooperation and a shared goal: overcoming suffering and living well. We are convinced that the growth of others is also our own well-being: helping others means helping ourselves too, because helping – especially children who suffer – always brings reciprocity.
“I believe I do what I do for myself […] every time something real happens I am moved and […] I forget my audience and its possible admiration, and I am totally present.”
— F. Perls, 1969
The Association is therefore the commitment and effort of many people who met, sharing the certainty that they could bring about change, each with their own special, individual contribution.
Our values
Our work is built on sharing, respect for others, unconditional listening and, above all, on rejecting the welfarism typical of Western culture. We believe in strengthening people by stimulating their own resources: for us, helping means guiding growth and autonomy.
Sharing
Taking part in another person’s life: not trying to change them, but letting them be and being with them.
Respect
Respect for others and for their story, in every culture we meet.
Listening
Unconditional listening to each person’s story and to the suffering it carries.
Autonomy
No to welfarism: we strengthen people by building on their own resources, towards growth and independence.
How we are organised
AINA is a volunteer association working in Italy and abroad with the support of charitable bodies and secular and religious associations.
Its overall identity has remained the same over time, even though some of the people who worked for and around it have changed: all of them left an important mark on the history of the Association. Today AINA is made up of:
- the Board of Directors
- a group of operational managers in Kenya
- a body of supporters and a wide network of volunteers.
Board of Directors
- President: Vittoria Quondamatteo
- Honorary Presidents: Maria Luigia Guzzi (Sister Noemi), Diana Maria Partini
- Board members: Vittoria Quondamatteo, Gianni Massimo Zito, Elena Baliva
Our Statute and financial statements are published on the Institutional documents page.
Our aims
The main purpose of AINA ETS is social solidarity and national and international volunteering, through:
- cooperation programmes supporting human, social, economic and cultural development, respecting the dignity of every individual;
- raising awareness among local, national and international institutions about children who are victims of war, poverty, exploitation, ignorance and every other form of oppression, urging them to take concrete action for children, families and communities;
- school sponsorship for children from families in developing countries facing serious economic hardship, who could not attend primary and secondary school without outside support;
- fundraising to support children throughout their school years;
- promoting exchange between peoples and persons, seen as a gift of encounter between different cultures;
- social participation and solidarity initiatives that foster intercultural encounters between peoples;
- training activities that grow a culture of social solidarity, especially on respect and global citizenship education;
- intercultural exchange through “sharing journeys”, fully respecting individuals, cultural identities and the local context.
Help the Children of the Noon
With Long-Distance Support you stand by a child of the village for a whole year. Or make a free donation: every gesture counts.