MISSIONS
The Role of Volunteers:
A Constant and Multifaceted Commitment
To carry out its cooperation initiatives in Ayamé and the surrounding villages, the Agency relies on volunteers who offer their work free of charge in various fields: healthcare, environmental protection, and child welfare. Some volunteers have long been permanent residents in Ayamé, such as Emi Massignan, who, thanks to her extensive experience and knowledge of the area, serves as an authoritative and effective interface with the local population and authorities.
Other volunteers, based on their respective skills, are periodically sent on missions by the Agency to implement and monitor the various projects in which it is engaged. In the annual reports of the Agency’s president and in the “History” section of this website, the different missions are thoroughly documented.
Stays in Ayamé are aimed at activities in:
- Medical support to provide specialized care to the local population and to assist the HGA healthcare staff, also involving them in professional training activities. This is the case with periodic missions of ophthalmologists and dentists. Internships for recent graduates or medical residents are also very useful and contribute to the functioning of HGA, especially during periods of shortage of Ivorian doctors and nurses.
- Technical and technological support for the implementation of projects promoted by the Agency, for the development, modernization, and maintenance of HGA healthcare facilities and nearby dispensaries in the brousse (countryside/forest), as well as for the environmental restoration of Ayamé: waste management and sewage system.
- Relations with local communities to assess their needs and to agree on projects to address them, as well as with government institutions with which significant partnership agreements in the field of healthcare cooperation have been signed.
The University of Pavia, through CICOPS, provides specific work-study scholarships (also thanks to the initiative “Cooperation and Knowledge”) for students about to graduate who wish to gain formative experiences in developing countries, especially for the purpose of preparing their thesis. Young volunteers of the Agency have also been able to benefit from this opportunity.
In recent years, periodic missions have been carried out by:
- Ophthalmologists: At least two missions per year by a team of five specialists for 7 days for cataract surgeries and advanced ophthalmology procedures. These missions take place thanks to the invaluable collaboration of the WMA Association from Tarquinia.
- Pediatricians: At least two annual missions of pediatric residents, working in pairs for 2 months, to support the pediatrics and neonatology departments of HGA. These missions take place thanks to the agreement between HGA and the Pediatric Specialty School of the University of Pavia.
- Nursing support At HGA Hospital through graduates specialized in nursing disciplines (additional personnel for one month per year).
- Educational support to the Pouponnière facility.
The Twinning House
The Agency provides the “Twinning House” for missions in Ayamé, a modern and secure guesthouse built in 2000 with co-financing from the Municipality of Pavia, which annually contributes to the operating and maintenance costs of the residence.
This residence can accommodate over 6 volunteers in 3 separate rooms. Equipped with spacious indoor and outdoor common areas, a fully equipped kitchen, and dedicated staff, it allows volunteers to live comfortably in clean and safe premises.
The rhythm never ends
September 2025 marked the conclusion of the mission of DiDa, a Pistoia-based association that promotes movement and dance as educational and social tools.
For the first time in three years, they worked in a hall made available by the Stimmatini school—a space that fostered greater focus and, consequently, even more engaging participation.
Over 120 children and young people, aged 4 to 14, took part in the workshops.
An unforgettable highlight? The body percussion routine they created together—it was so popular that it turned into a spontaneous game even outside the workshops. The kids carried it with them like a shared secret… and at one point, the rhythm became the most cheerful way to say hello, even when running into each other on the street!
