How to transform unspeakable pain into energy, vital energy, and generous help for those in need. The inextricably linked stories of sisters Mariavittoria and Francesca Rava. Francesca, who died in a car accident in 1999 at the age of 26, continues to inspire the work of the Francesca Rava Foundation, which Mariavittoria created in 2000. It is a foundation with strong and solid roots in Italy, Haiti, and around the world. A providential encounter with the international humanitarian organization NPH – Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers), founded in 1954 by Father Wasson, which helps vulnerable children by providing care, education, and love in its shelters and hospitals in nine Latin American countries, was a turning point.
The appointment
The Foundation's history, and especially the relationship between the two sisters that sparked it all, are at the heart of the book "Ti cercherò per sempre" (I'll Look for You Forever) by Claudio Guerrini, a writer and radio and television host. The book will be presented tomorrow at 7:00 PM at the "Su Gologone" Experience Hotel, in the presence of President Mariavittoria Rava and Chiara Del Miglio, the Foundation's NPH projects manager. The book was donated to President Sergio Mattarella on April 22nd during a meeting at the Quirinale Palace. Guerrini writes that the two sisters, "still very young, frightened by the many stories of kidnappings that filled the news at the time, promised each other that if one of them disappeared, the other would search for her forever." And so it was. "I created the Foundation," Mariavittoria explains in the book, "in her name, but also with her presence within me. Because we never broke that promise. Francesca is with me, in every child we help, in every smile we see again, in every gesture of love we can give.” Emily Dickinson’s words express the sense of a broken life that continues, however, to be a memory and a living presence: “If I can ease one life’s pain/or heal one grief/or help one fallen robin/back to its nest/I shall not have lived in vain.”
«My guide»
It's not a miracle, but the result of the treasure trove of affection and sentiment left behind. Mariavittoria adds, "The book is an act of love. A way to share who we are, what we do, and why every day, even today, I feel Francesca here with me, walking at my side, guiding me with that light that only those who truly love can leave behind." The Francesca Rava Foundation, with the support of many benefactors, has planted seeds that have borne great fruit. A work of concrete solidarity. The work, in collaboration with "NPH," has developed in Haiti, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Peru.
The commitment to Haiti
Much energy is being devoted to supporting Haiti, a country engulfed by serious social and economic emergencies, where 56 percent of the population suffers from malnutrition and living conditions for children are difficult. In one of the world's most troubled frontiers, a priest and physician, Father Richard Frechette, pioneered the cause, later becoming a valuable guide for Mariavittoria Rava and the Foundation. The NPH Saint Damien pediatric hospital, created by the Foundation in 2006, which withstood the devastating earthquake of 2010, is one of the most significant results of an effort driven by an invisible force. A family story has transformed into a collective experience. Many young people have also been involved in solidarity camps to learn about the work of the Francesca Rava Foundation and, in line with Francesca's ideas and values, provide assistance to those most in need.
