In southern Italy, many women find themselves in an extremely precarious situation, alone with their child(ren) and without work. The Fabbrica del Farò offers them the opportunity to rebound towards a more promising future.

Big italian lunch table

Presentation of the project

The olive trees are part of this beautiful place

This project was born near Brindisi, in Puglia, where people speak loudly and eat every Sunday with their families on huge tables full of food. Here, between the fields of olive trees and the turquoise blue of the Mediterranean, stands La Fabbrica del Farò, an old disused factory in which the project leaders are trying to create a land of opportunity.

Silvia, the project leader

The leader of this project is Silvia, director of the social cooperative Il Farò. For several years, this cooperative has been welcoming and housing women who find themselves in an extremely precarious situation, alone with their child(ren) and without work. Through non-formal education, art and personal development, it accompanies these women to a gentle reintegration into society.

With the Fabbrica, Silvia wanted to create a place where many associations could develop their projects and where women could rebuild themselves without feeling completely marginalized.

Together we go further

With this idea in mind, Silvia decided to bring together a dozen local partners for this project, including Tenrock (a social circus) and Matera Bike (which offers guided bike tours in the region). Together, and with the help of international volunteers, they are starting to rehabilitate and bring back to life the abandoned factory.

A volunteer is working in the abandoned factory

The general idea is to create a place that can house the women of the social cooperative but also offer non-formal education workshops (hotel, catering, ceramics, agriculture, theatre, administrative work, etc.) in which the women could participate to develop skills useful for their reintegration.

Matera bike is giving a tour

This is how the various local partners of the project come into play, who, by offering their services on the spot, offer these women the possibility of learning on the ground while developing their business. This is the case, for example, of Matera Bike, which finds in the fabbrica a new starting point for its tourist circuits, which the women can help manage.

A place open to all

Today the Fabbrica is a place open to all, even if the project is still in its infancy, they are trying as much as possible to open up to the outside world, firstly through the circus events it hosts but also through their social vegetable garden and their soon-to-be-functioning small hostel.

So if you are in the boot heel of Italy for the holidays and you are curious to see an extraordinary project run by people with a big heart, don't hesitate for a second. No doubt you will be welcomed with big smiles and open arms.

What's more, if you want to give a helping hand to this project without going all the way to Italy (having done it in a van, it's not far), you can always take a look at their website (or even make a small donation).

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