Italian organisations work together to help those in need amid coronavirus pandemic

The Italian Network of Melbourne (NOMIT) was quick to help, as the non-profit organisation constantly supports the growth of the new Italian community.

The first financial support for their project came from CO.AS.IT., which made a $20,000 donation.

“We are happy with the agreement established with NOMIT, a very capable group which has proven its ability to deal with situations like this over the years,” CEO of CO.AS.IT., Marco Fedi, said.

“We have provided this first $20,000, while other organisations are also contributing, including Com.It.Es.

“The conditions of those in need will be evaluated through telephone interviews.

“At first, we provided some prepaid cards valued at $100, sent to a number of people in need according to this verification system.

“Perhaps to avoid admin costs in the future, financial support may be handed out directly through bank transfers, in order to have more funds to allocate those most in need.”

Meanwhile, all support programs run by CO.AS.IT. continue to operate, even during the current health crisis which has caused many to work from home.

“Our staff provide home assistance following the safety protocols indicated by the federal government, while we continue to work on  recreational programs using PCs and tablets, and if people are not equipped, we use the traditional telephone to maintain contact,” Fedi said.

“When it comes to education, we are teaching remotely through PDF and video files, in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Education.”

Despite the cancellation of numerous events, CO.AS.IT. has kept all financial commitments to artists and professionals within the cultural scene, naturally excluding the events scheduled months after the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

“We have simply postponed some events and we started working from home from March 16,” Fedi said.

“At the moment, we have several cultural proposals that we are considering, some with a close deadline, others arriving from external sponsors, and one in line with Republic Day, which we are organising.

“We will try to do what we can when it comes to cultural programs.

“I’m convinced that the restrictions and social distancing rules in place will last for a long time.

“I foresee a very different world, but one in which we will be able to move forward hoping that there are no other crises of this nature ... but if we were to come across another crisis, we would seek to be more prepared.”