ITVPs Take Part in a Special Meeting about the “13 Houses” Campaign
This Vincentian Family project aims at supporting homeless people.
On May 16th, 2021, the CGI’s International Territorial Vice Presidents (ITVPs) took part in a special formation initiative on the “13 Houses” Campaign, organised by the FamVin Homeless Alliance.
The purpose of this event was to provide more information about the aims of the initiative, and its progress in various parts of the world, to make the SSVP’s Territorial Vice Presidents aware of the spread and impact of the projects carried out in the various countries.
This initiative for homeless people is intended to improve (and transform) the lives of 10,000 homeless people worldwide, via projects carried out in each of the 156 countries where the Vincentian Family operates. This campaign was inspired by the action of Saint Vincent de Paul, who built 13 houses around Saint-Lazare, the mother house of the Congregation of the Mission (CM), to care for abandoned children. One of the pillars of this initiative is the collaboration among the various branches of the Vincentian Family in planning and implementation of the projects.
During the presentations, Vincentian Family coordinators highlighted the importance of the SSVP’s action in this initiative, as it is the largest branch of FamVin. The Territorial Vice Presidents were asked to foster SSVP participation in every country, especially to identify projects which are underway or already completed, and which have not yet been reported to the general campaign coordinators.
In addition to the requirements needed to implement the projects, photographs were shown of the various actions carried out around the world, many of them with the effective participation of the SSVP. Throughout the presentations, the Territorial Vice Presidents could also ask questions and clarify any points about the initiative and the details of its funding.
At the end of the formation session, the 16th President General International, Renato Lima de Oliveira, thanked the organisers for preparing the presentations, and ensured them that the SSVP is fully involved in this global Vincentian Family initiative, expressing his wish for the Society to carry out projects of this kind in every country where it is present.
“The SSVP is the largest and most influential branch of our Family. We need you to ensure this project moves forward. You have the tradition, the knowledge, capability, resources and an incredible number of members who will help the Vincentian Family reduce the number of homeless people throughout the world,” said the Vincentian Mark McGreevy, leader of the Alliance.
Article written by Julio Lima, VPTI, America 3
