When I went to film “Dignity” at the O Viveiro center two years ago, the project was at its zenith thru the great job of Emanuela Bonavolta, who was able to turn her inner love, passion for other human beings and Christian devotion into concrete facts. She was able to turn visions into realities and the center was bubbling with all the activities I portrayed in my film, and more were to come. Gradually, though, the organization of O Viveiro in Italy took a distance from her visions preferring to let it become one of the many “charitable” organizations that content themselves with sending money to children without considering their adult life and the challenges they will need to face as grown-ups. Emanuela ended up feeling isolated and left the O Viveiro NGO, preferring to continue on a different and more dynamic path with people who shared her vision and goals, funding a new organization and calling it “Dignity No Profit People” to underline the bond and continuity between the film and new NGO, with the aim of producing as many projects and support as possible. I am of course part of that, in many ways that go beyond the monetary support, and we have accomplished a lot of goals that have changed the lives of our girls, both those that still live in O Viveiro and those who do not, either because they have a family or because they have left the center – either willingly or unwillingly.
In the past year, we arranged for a heart surgery for Liliana − that prevented her from a near death and totally changed her life−, a new leg prosthesis for Rosa – that enables her to lead a much freer and enjoyable life−, we have invited Tamare to come and run a race in Rome, in the prospect of her becoming a national Olympic athlete for Mozambique in the future, and we are also supporting the girls that are facing serious problems like having become pregnant and alone. We at “Dignity No Profit People” believe that girls need support and guidance more than monastery-like regulations, and invest in this direction economically, emotionally and psychologically, and devoting our time to them, the most precious thing we have.
I felt I needed to clarify this as my film is becoming more and more widespread in the world and its audience needs to be informed that the situation portrayed in the film is changed. The current reference for those who are willing to support this project is therefore Dignity No Profit People and no longer O Viveiro. Thank you!