Social inclusion
We promote social inclusion against the stigma of hearing loss
Milan, July 2020 - A new Foundation to support and promote the full social inclusion of people at risk of marginalisation, enabling them to reach their potential.
This is the objective of the Amplifon Foundation, created in January 2020 to consolidate the Amplifon Group's social commitment to its stakeholders and the community. Chaired by Susan Carol Holland, her operative “right-hand” is Maria Cristina Ferradini, who is the Foundation’s Managing Director.
Maria Cristina Ferradini
“The Amplifon Foundation has the objective of promoting the social inclusion of all those who live in a situation of fragility and are at risk of marginalisation” - explains Maria Cristina Ferradini, General Manager of the Amplifon Foundation - “A particular focus is aimed at young people with hearing loss and the elderly, typically the most fragile people".
"We want to work, on the one hand, to contribute in a concrete and real way to meet some needs that are manifested by various actors in the territory - continues Ms Ferradini - on the other hand we want to fight all forms of social stigma by promoting an inclusive culture at all levels. What distinguishes us is the ability to respond quickly even to sudden and emergency needs".
During the covid-19 emergency
"After the emergency, the Foundation will use the funds allocated to strengthen and renovate the outpatient clinics of Paediatric Otolaryngology” - continues Ms Ferradini - “This is a virtuous collaboration for the Foundation, which wants to establish itself on the national and international scene as an active and privileged interlocutor on the issues of disability, starting from hearing disabilities".
The commitment with the community of sant'egidio
Another project supported by the Amplifon Foundation and promoted by the Sant'Egidio Community was launched on 1 July 2020: Elderly Summer 2020. This is a support activity for the care of the elderly in Milan, Rome and Novara. The Amplifon Foundation supports, in particular, a pilot project in Milan involving the elderly population of the Corvetto district in the south-eastern suburbs. Goals include:
- Reducing heat-related risks
- Avoiding the loneliness of the elderly, especially in the summer
- Bringing cases of particular isolation closer to social services and other neighbourhood services.
In addition, through an intense activity of knowledge of the various realities, the aim is to avoid homelessness and spread a culture of "good neighbourliness", which on the one hand re-evaluates the figure of the elderly as a resource for society as a whole and increases intergenerational exchanges, on the other hand it restores the sense of collective and individual responsibility in the relationship with the weakest subjects, promoting forms of social protection, at condominium and neighbourhood level.
