Madrid hosts the international meeting of the St. John of God Fundraising Alliance

A new and beautiful opportunity to remember the motto of Saint John of God, who, while begging for alms for the poor on the streets of Granada, said: “Do good to yourselves by doing good to the poor.”

Here is a good example, which always accompanies the spirit of all the participants in the coordination meeting of the St. John of God Fundraising Alliance, which depends on the OMICOI (Office of Missions and International Cooperation of the General Curia of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God).

The meeting, held on November 23 in Madrid, was attended by representatives and experts from various NGOs and foundations of the Hospitaller Order: Fundaçao Sao Joao de Deus – Lisbon (Portugal); Saint John of God Development Company – Dublin (Ireland-Netherlands); Juan Ciudad ONGD – Madrid (Spain); AFMaL ONG – Rome (Italy); Association pour l'Aide aux Jeunes Infirmes et aux Personnes Disicapées – Paris (France), which work in the field of international cooperation in impoverished countries.

The meeting was held at the Provincial Curia of the Province of Castile in Madrid, Spain, at the headquarters of the Juan Ciudad NGO. The director of OMICOI, Brother Moisés Martín Boscá, welcomed the participants and thanked them for their presence in his opening remarks. He also noted that November 25th marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Juan Ciudad NGO.

Before giving the floor to the participants to address the various points on the agenda, Brother Miguel Ángel Varona Alonso (Provincial Superior) spoke, emphasizing the importance of continuing the work of disseminating and raising awareness in society, in the search for funds to carry out assistance activities worldwide.

During the working session, all participants presented their reports on the humanitarian and development activities they are carrying out, thus providing an overview of the immense work carried out by each organization. They also highlighted future challenges, with the common goal of continuing to promote comprehensive health for people and development in resource-poor areas. In particular, the point was reiterated that any request for assistance must be appropriately prepared to promote communication among all organizations, in coordination with the O.MI.CO.I. of the General Curia, whose role is to ensure that the initiative is valid and in accordance with the agreed-upon lines of work.

At the end of the meeting, Brother Moisés Martín Boscá thanked all the participants for their work and daily commitment to this service, acknowledging that the next meeting will be held in Italy on March 17. 

By OMICOI