“Generators” of communion: the OPLA 2024 Report is out!
by Tainã Santana per OPLA Team
There continue to be many situations of global pain, many of which are now forgotten. Driven by the media, but also out of mental fatigue, we focus on one thing at a time, and the conflict that erupts today immediately makes us forget yesterday's. Suffering the consequences, as always, are the weakest, the people who experience the many poverties.
About 670,000 euros. This was the amount invested by the EoC in 2024 to support actions, projects and initiatives aimed at overcoming poverty. These figures are only those managed by the EoC International. We know, however, that in many parts of the world there are entrepreneurs, companies and EoC associations that act directly to fight poverty on their own territory, without necessarily sending funds to the International EoC. In fact, these figures you see may even be a minority part of all that is being done!
So let's take a look at an overview of the International EoC's investments to fight poverty in 2024. Let's first understand where we are: 
here is our “ecosystem of communion.” The International EoC, works on two major strands: individual support projects, done through of the many practitioners around the world, and integral human development projects, done through AMU. OPLA, on the other hand, in addition to having a general look at the impact of the EoC in the fight against poverty, has also been taking a closer look at the practitioners and the various requests regarding individual support projects for the past two years. Here, then, is the totality of it all.
Let's focus for a moment on integral human development and emergency projects. Here is an overview of the different projects, the countries and how much money has been allocated to each.
In Burundi, with the Si Può Fare! project, the aim is to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the population through microcredit education. More than 300 microcredit groups are involved, totaling about 8,300 people. The total cost of the project, as you can see, is more than 1 million euros, of which the EoC contributed about 10 percent this year.
In Ecuador, in the province of Esmeraldas, there is the Sunrise project. It is aimed at young people, who are professionally trained and carry out environmental conservation actions. Job opportunities are created, fostering environmentally sustainable entrepreneurship. 360 young people participate directly in the project, which has a total cost of about 200,000 euros, of which the EoC covered 1/3 this year.
In Syria, the Restart project, creates job opportunities through training, provision of the necessary equipment and machinery for the various income-generating activities, and accompaniment.The culture of reciprocity is central here; in fact, participants return 50 percent of the amount received in cash, and the other 50 percent through reciprocity actions.
We report some impressions of the projects carried out in 2023. From a Syrian dentist:
«Thanks to the new and modern tools provided to me by Restart, I can offer patients dental care in a shorter time than other clinics in the city. This is one of the reasons why so many people come to me. It is a great opportunity that gives me new experiences every day.».
From a participant in microcredit groups in Burundi::
«I would like to have access to more credit, making contacts, for example, with financial institutions that allow you to apply for larger loans. Now I am sure that I can do more, because from this experience I learned that it is possible. It can be done!».
Now let's turn our gaze to the individual support actions followed by different EoC practitioners around the world. 394 participants 
were reached, geographically distributed as you see on the slide: Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. 41% of the funds allocated go to education, in the form of scholarships. 25 percent to health, 13 percent to starting income-generating activities, 11 percent to housing improvement, and 8 percent to nutrition needs. Here, then, is a summary of the participants reached.
And it doesn't end there! Each action has triggered a chain of reciprocity, fraternity and commitment to a better world - and this goes far beyond just financial aid. In Colombia, a family that received support from the EoC decided to buy diapers and other materials for another family in need. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a midwifery student convinced her entire group not to give in when a bribery attempt was put in place. In India, an elderly couple donates their time by accompanying other people so that they do not feel abandoned. And like these there are many other stories of fellowship that give us hope for an even more fruitful new year!
Are you ready for 2025? Join us to together continue to be generators of communion wherever we are.
Download the pdf OPLA Report (31.11 MB)
