La fashion it's not just luxury, money and wealth. You also have a heart that sometimes arouses humanitarian impulses of rare generosity and great concreteness. It is an expression of it OTB Foundation, the non-profit organization of Renzo Rosso's group who is its president and which today is managed with great dynamism by his young wife-manager and vice president, Ariadne Alessi, already awarded last year as "Philantropist of the Year" by the EBP Association and reported by Forbes Italia among the 100 Italian women who stand out for their professional and social commitment and leadership skills. The Foundation, which is based in Breganze in the Vicenza area, was born with the mission of promptly intervening in emergency situations in Italy and in the world and improve the lives of people in need in a sustainable way. The numbers speak for themselves: since it was born, but especially in recent years, the Foundation has invested in over 350 projects of social development in the world with a direct impact on the lives of approx 350 thousand people. But the turning point – as Arianna Alessi explains in this interview with FIRSTonline – came during the pandemic and after the outbreak of war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here's how and why.
Dr. Alessi, for three years the OTB Foundation no longer looks like it used to: the ethical and solidarity values are the same but from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine it has made a leap in quality visible to the naked eye. How was it born, why and in what does the turning point consist?
«It was the pandemic that forced us to change register and to do it quickly and then the war in Ukraine did the rest, without forgetting our support for Afghan women and our relief efforts for the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey. Previously the Foundation limited itself to making donations, since the explosion of Covid it has become directly operational and does so by avoiding any waste in the use of resources. One of the foundation's pillars, of which we are proud, is to ensure that all funds raised go directly to the final beneficiaries of the supported projects, without wasting a single euro. Our way of working has changed in the sense that we intervene directly and promptly in emergency situations in Italy and in the world, but the spirit of our mission has not changed and the thematic areas of intervention have not changed, which are mainly three".
What are they?
«Children and young people, women and integration. In the first case - and not only in the case of Ukrainian refugees - we intervene in situations of greatest social suffering in childhood and adolescence by doing everything necessary to guarantee civilian housing, sufficient food and clothing, health protection, 'starting school education; we support family homes and have also created an online helpdesk "Only the brave call Alice" which children aged 12 to 25 in psychological difficulty can contact to book a free visit with a professional therapist who, if necessary, will always start a 10-session course free. For 7 years now throughout Italy we have been supporting the "We free" campaign to prevent drug or alcohol addiction throughout Italy with the community of San Patrignano and the "Bye Bully" campaign for the prevention of bullying and cyberbullying with the Fare X Bene association and gender-based violence among high school students across Italy. For girls and women, in addition to financial aid in cases of proven need, we have created a listening and support service called "Never again" for victims of violence in the Veneto region and beyond (where we have opened against violence against women in Bassano and Asiago) which offers, free of charge, a safe place to stay, legal and psychological assistance and the possibility of job placement. We have also contributed to supporting the "Vow for girls" movement which aims to combat the sad phenomenon of international child marriages and child brides by protecting the rights of girls, providing education, professional training and skills so that girls can be independent architects of their future. But for the most deserving and most studious girls we have also started something more innovative».
That?
«We have already launched the "Brave Women Awards" project since 2022 with an allocation of 550 thousand euros and the creation of 55 scholarships for deserving female students and low-income families to finance the two-year master's degree in 5 of the best Italian universities. We thus want to contribute to forming the female executive class of the future, choosing masters in public administration and company management, allowing more girls to access a higher level of training, creating the conditions for allowing women to enter in sectors where the presence of women is limited and valuing gender diversity with equal economic treatment".
Then there is the area of the Foundation's initiatives in support of the integration of migrants and refugees which complement your interventions in Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey and above all in Ukraine for which you recently received the award "Fashion wears peace ”. How did you come up with the idea of supporting Ukrainian women and children and at what stage is your whole solidarity operation with the Ukrainian population?
«We adhered to an appeal by UNHCR, the UN agency, and we were the most timely to intervene after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Three days after the outbreak of war we were already in the field. Before the Ukrainian borders closed, we sent money, blankets, coats and helped the Ukrainians escape on buses that took them to Vicenza. In the first instance, we ensured financial support for 7 people in Ukraine. But I will never forget the emotion at the first arrivals of refugees. When a Ukrainian woman got off one of our buses with a child in one hand and a bag in the other, visibly upset, using the translator on her phone she asked us: "But where are we now?". My husband Renzo and I were moved and petrified. We decided them to step up the trips. The coaches left loaded with coats, blankets and first aid kits and anticoagulants and returned loaded with people. Sat everywhere even in the steps. In all, we have welcomed 443 refugees into Italy, 60% of whom are under 10 years old, guaranteeing food, lodging, money, vaccinations, health care, education for children and work for women in our companies or in friendly companies with regular contracts . But their patriotism is very strong and about 300 women and children have returned to Ukraine. There are about 80 left, which we take care of through the associations set up by the Prefecture of Vicenza, always trying to guarantee rapid support. In Ukraine and Moldova we support care centers for a total of 900 people. We are really proud of what OTB Foundation is doing for Ukrainian refugees in Italy and Moldova and also for those of the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey, where we have helped over 600 people».
These are numbers that speak of a great demonstration of solidarity that really does the OTB Foundation credit, but the turning point came during the pandemic: can we make a final assessment of your battle against Covid?
«Even in this field I like to let the numbers speak. During the pandemic, we donated one million PPE, hundreds of air purifiers for emergency rooms, and supported 2 people with shopping packages of basic necessities and distributed 40.147 kg of groceries to families in need. We started out by helping small hospitals and nursing homes around Italy, then we also came to supply material to the large structures in Milan, Brescia and Bergamo: in 12 days we opened a vaccination hub for over 120.000 people. Public and social must be able to work well together especially in emergencies. This is the new way of working of the Foundation: not only donations but direct interventions in all emergencies and tangible projects to fight poverty and inequality, support for merit at work and in school. Given the increasing poverty in Italy, we have long supported various solidarity emporiums (free supermarkets for people in difficulty) and this year we have opened two, one in Schio and one in Thiene (VI). We wanted to open real multifunctional centers where not only can you do the shopping for free but there is a counseling center for women victims of violence, and an office that offers training and jobs, at the second refusal of a job offer , it is no longer possible to access the center. This is important for us, we don't want to give the signal that we are a foundation that grants permanent subsidies to people who could re-enter the world of work. Precisely to develop these "evolved" solidarity emporiums we have just closed a tender to which we have allocated 300 euros for organizations that already have an established emporium and want to expand their services. We will continue like this."