After her first volunteer experience, Berta Schweitzer decided to return to Ethiopia for three weeks to support the Salesian sisters at the Gubrye social center. But shortly after her arrival, Sister Rosaria, the head of the center, had to be rushed to the hospital. The second Sister stayed by her side during her months of recovery in Italy, leaving Berta alone in Gubrye for three months to hold the fort.
“I couldn’t just abandon the children, the women, the workers,” says the teacher from South Tyrol’s Val Venosta region.
During the association’s general assembly last Thursday, Berta Schweitzer was honored with the Helping Hands Award 2024 by World Doctors.
“If not us, then who?” This question resonates through every one of the association’s projects. For 25 years, World Doctors has been in action — and, as President Toni Pizzecco emphasizes, “Now more than ever.” In a time when global aid budgets are shrinking, wars drag on, and food assistance is blocked in places like Gaza, he adds: “The powerful destabilize the world. This only shows how vital development cooperation truly is.”
Providing help where it’s needed most. In 2024, the association supported 30 projects across 11 countries. An impressive 90% of its budget went toward long-term development aid. A total of 31 members completed missions in Ethiopia, India, and Nepal. In Afghanistan, collaboration with partner organizations was necessary, as access to the country remains restricted under Taliban control.
The people of South Tyrol once again showed remarkable solidarity: donations increased by 35%.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to the many private donors, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the Trentino–South Tyrol Region, and the Municipality of Bolzano.
Investing in the future. World Doctors has long invested in medicine, education, clean drinking water – and since 2023, in the Loving Home project. In three Ethiopian dioceses, communities are being educated about the risks of illegal migration. The Catholic Church’s network reaches into schools, churches, and women’s groups.
In 2024, the self-taught young speaker Ezedin Kamil delivered a powerful message to over 500 students and university attendees: “Illegal migration is not the solution. Stay here – there are opportunities. Unite and start your own business.” In Ethiopia, Ezedin is a rising star and a compelling ambassador for Loving Home.
Creating prospects. In 2024, 42 young people received grants to launch small businesses. “We ask them what they need, and we evaluate carefully,” explains Gabriele Janssen Pizzecco, the association’s director. “We see that development aid truly works – when it is long-term and based on partnership. That’s what keeps us going.”
For 25 years, the guiding principle has remained: projects follow people. The numbers speak for themselves: schools built for 11,500 children and young people; 125 wells supplying clean water to 58,000 people; monthly financial support for 380 single mothers in Afghanistan; and education for refugee children through the Jesuit Refugee Service. Sewing courses and microcredit initiatives are giving more and more women real opportunities. Hospitals in Attat, Ethiopia, and Dhulikhel, Nepal – both close to the organization’s heart – serve as healthcare centers for a combined population of four million.
New leadership, new energy. This year’s elections brought two new members to the board: young lawyer Florian Brandstätter from Bolzano and surgeon Monika Niederkofler from Brunico. Michael Atzwanger and Lodovico Comploj were reappointed as auditors. The board of arbitration is composed of Doris Gluderer, Wolfgang Wielander, and Dieter Randeu.
Continuing the work – and passing the torch. One of the key goals in 2024 was to gradually hand over responsibilities to the next generation. New voices are now shaping the mission – doctors, volunteers, skilled workers. Chiara Carmignola, one of eight volunteers at the Attat summer camp, shares: “There were 70 children and young people every day. We played, organized competitions, and simply had fun.” Jakob Haller made a deep connection, as his father Stefan proudly notes: “He bonded immediately with the young Ethiopian craftsmen – much better than I did.” General practitioners Sofia Schöpf and Simon Schmidt speak about their time at the San Marco Clinic: “People waited up to three hours – but no one ever got upset.”
