The prefabricated structure, created by Save the Children with Bulgari’s contribution, was inaugurated in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education Vito De Filippo. Italian actress Valentina Lodovini was also present.

January 16, 2017 (Corridonia, Italy) – As of today, the children of the “A.Manzoni” school in Corridonia will be able to attend lessons in a new temporary school created by Save the Children with Bulgari’s contribution and inaugurated today in the suburb of Colbuccaro in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education Vito De Filippo.

The earthquake of 24th August caused structural damage to the building of the Manzoni school, which was immediately condemned. The eighty pre-school and primary pupils of the school had to begin the school year taught in premises owned by businesses or the parish that were made available to house the school waiting for a more suitable solution.

Save the Children, within the scope of its support for children in the earthquake emergency that hit Central Italy in the Lazio and the Marche regions, immediately responded to a request from the Ministry of Education and the School Unit of DI.CO.MAC (the Command and Control Department of the Civil Protection Department) to creating suitable premises to school the children of Corridonia.

Thanks to the fundamental contribution from Bulgari, which has supported the organisation from the start in its response to the earthquake emergency, it has been possible to create a new prefabricated structure of approximately 630 sq.m. in the suburb of Colbuccaro. The structure contains five schoolrooms for the primary school and one for the pre-school, a gym, an area for new technologies and a canteen. Indeed some families have asked to leave their children beyond normal school hours and in order to satisfy these requests, school meals will be available and children looked after until 2 p.m. Outside the school the children will have about 4,000 sq.m. of space in which to play and practice sport.

The Ministry of Eduction has provided the internal furnishings of the school and teaching rooms, where 11 teachers will work.

“With the inauguration of the new school in Corridonia, the daily, difficult but necessary, work of returning fundamental services to these areas continues. These services include schools, a decisive factor in people in these communities being able to pick up and rebuild their lives. We are here so that we become aware on a daily basis of all the issues and problems that affect the areas hit by the earthquake and to ensure that investment projects in these areas, be they public or private, are carried out as fast as possible in order to provide effective solutions for the affected population”, says the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, Vito De Filippo.

In agreement with the government, Save the Children will lead several awareness campaigns in the area for the local community and schools, addressing active citizenship and risk reduction. Local government has also confirmed that the school unit created by Save the Children will continue to be used as a community centre for extracurricular activities for the children and young people of Corridonia, even after the old school is restored. Hence, the structure will not be abandoned and will remain available to children and young people for further recreational activities they might enjoy.

“School is a fundamental reference point for children and young people. It is even more so for those who have had to face the consequences of an earthquake like the one that hit this area. For this reason we wanted to make sure that these children had a suitable and safe place to go back to school together as soon as possible”, says Raffaela Milano, Director of Italy-Europe Programmes for Save the Children. “We were able to achieve all this thanks to the precious collaboration of national and local institutions and the fundamental contribution of a company such as Bulgari that has always been close to us in these years and has supported us in our commitment to guarantee the right to education of every child in Italy and in the world, especially in emergency situations. All this brings us further confirmation that collaboration between the non-profit sector, the private sector and public institutions can provide a fundamental contribution to achieving important projects that help local areas”.

“After the earthquake that shook central Italy, we immediately made ourselves available to support Save the Children in its work helping children. The creation of this school is a source of great pride for us as we know how important it is for children to have a suitable place in which to learn and how fundamental investment in education is for the future of a country”, explains Carla Luini, Global Marketing and Communications Vice President of Bulgari. “The collaboration with Save the Children goes in this direction and this new project we have completed together has confirmed to us how valuable the contribution of a company like ours can be to achieve important results, including in our own country”.

The creation of the school in Corridonia is part of the social and educational projects Save the Children has put in place in the Lazio and the Marche regions to help children, teenagers and their families in the areas hit by earthquakes last August and last October.