The Curtea Culorilor project of the Punto Missione Association was created with the aim of responding to the need for social inclusion of orphaned or abandoned girls explelled from orphanage after becoming of age, in the small rural village of Sebova in Romania, about 13 km from Timisoara.
Almost all of these girls, during the years in orphanage, did not receive the right tools to build a solid personality so that just after leaving the institute they fall victim to human trafficking and prostitution. Therefore a home and a job become the achievable targets for these girls, only if they are accompanied, formed and intergrated in a family and in a work environment that is synonymous with dignified life, not segregated in humble jobs and humiliating living conditions.
The cooperative Curtea Culorilor intends to respond to a social need while at the same time creating the economic conditions for the development of the territory. In the Community a dairy processing laboratory was established, which, on a weekly basis, works 500 lts of milk for the production of fresh and seasoned cheese by means of production with methods typical of Italian tradition. The produced cheese is highly appreciated by a niche market and is currently distributed to some businesses and restaurants and through a manufacturer’s circuit at 0 kms. Today the Association, thanks to this early activity, manages to maintain 3 girls who live in the shelter and have free food, lodging and perceive a small salary while learning to build their own personality.
At present, the amount of milk being processed during the week is little (500lt) as the available equipment does not allow to process more. Marcegaglia Foundation has chosen to support the project by purchasing a pasteurizer. This machine will quadruple production and more time will be dedicated on the business aspect of the business. It will also be possible to obtain the certification of “pasteurized milk” guaranteeing the possibility of selling to the large distribution and to export. This increase in activity will allow other young orphans to enter the cooperative.
