Contact Person: Andrea Di Gesualdo; Telephone Number: +39 3477246658;
E-mail: info@happydu.org;
Website: www.happydu.org
Xlestrade has met Andrea Di Gesualdo and Monica Moro, president and office manager, respectively, of Happydu Onlus (ex Mammadù Italia Onlus) Association, from Milano.
The association, as they told us, has been established ufficially in December 2010. Andrea decided to do this after him and his friend, Alessando, had volunteered in Namibia.
They chose randomly Namibia and in that occasion they met the children from Orlindi orphanage, which is situated in Windhoek outskirt (the capital City), in Katutura area.
Andrea and Alessando promise the children they will come back and will not forget them, after the return in Italy.
During these years the association has mostly financed and supported the orphanage activities, giving help for paying all school costs, food, a teacher’s salary for after-school activities and, in 2013, it contributed to rebuilding a new house which could host more children.
The children who live in the orphanage are currently 28, aged between 0 and 18 years old.
In 2013 Happydu Onlus in collaboration with the local government supported a child’s medical surgery. He is called Gerome, he was 8 years old at that time and he has lived at Namibia Children’s Home. He was 
affected by a severe malformation.
From October 2013 and April 2014 there were different operations and now Gerome is fine and he has eventually started to attend school.
Xlestrade asked what the future activities will be.
Happydu Onlus‘s aim is to find and support financially other local projects and activities, involved in giving home to children.
In the last period of time, the association has started to collaborate with other two children’s homes: Justine’s Place of safety, in Katutura where there are 45 children and Clara’s House, at Groot Aub, which hosted 25 children.
The association would like to take part in supporting actions in order to supply medical care to other needy children and it is open to cooperate with other associations, not only in Namibia. By these possible collaborations, it could be possible to realize medical projects, which otherwise could not be bring to an end.
In Italy the association organizes events and meetings for fundraising.
To whom they would like to be a volunteer for Mammadù Italia Onlus, it is possible to contact them. It is also possible to go to Namibia and have an experience there, but the volunteer needs to cover all the costs. The association can constitute an help in Namibia but it hasn’t got an office there with a guest house.
In the last period, thanks to many volunteers come back from the African Country, the association has started to work in other italian areas, especially at Torino and Roma.
Xlestrade asked them a meaningful sentence before saying goodbye to one another.
The message is by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “What is essential is invisible to the eyes”.
Thank Andrea and Monica very much! We will carry, in our luggage, all the Namibian colours and its children’s smiles with us!
