In the Republic of Congo – and in the whole of Africa – gender-based violence is a very serious problem . We’re talking about physical violence but also verbal, sexual and racial violence. It is even endured by widows, who are held responsible for the deaths of their husbands and for this reason are subjected to punitive rituals. On the African continent, nearly one in two women has experienced such acts of violence at least once and, according to a UNICEF report, three out of four women consider it normal for a man to beat them. In order to combat this malpractice, the Republic of Congo has an ad hoc national policy, while in Pointe- Noire and the department of Kouilou, the "Kutelema na kuniokuama ya ba kento" (Let's stand up against abuse against women) project is active. The goal of the project, which is sponsored by the European Union and the Italian foundation AVSI, together with several local organizations, is to promote the protection and empowerment of women.

The Venice lagoon is the largest in the Mediterranean. Since the times of the Republic of the Serenissima, man has changed the course of rivers to make the area functional to the life and economy of the inhabitants. A centuries-long process that has undermined its stability and now risks being seriously damaged. There are 4 main causes that risk breaking the fragile balance: uncontrolled fishing, climate change, the Mose (the system of artificial dams that should avoid the phenomenon of high water in Venice) and the extinction of the salt marshes (the pieces of land that live between salt water and river water) which act as carbon-sink. The Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Padua, based in Chioggia, has for years intensified its work for the preservation of this ecosystem and, surprisingly, many of the fishermen have asked for the help of researchers to study, control and find remedy for the deterioration of the lagoon.

In the 1950s the Veneto region in the northeast of Italy, known for its capital Venice, was a poor, agricultural area. Nobody would have bet on the success that was to arrive with resounding impact. In just a few years farmhands became factory workers, unemployment disappeared and the economic boom powered the growth of the region’s economy at breakneck speed. Veneto became one of the richest regions in Europe. From the end of the 1970s, each year saw double-digit growth, spreading wellbeing and driving the expansion of the region’s businesses, which for the most part were family run firms. One of the symbols of this “economic fairy tale ” was and is the important waterway, the Brenta, which runs through the heart of the region and spans almost 200 km, a privileged view of the heart of Mediterranean Europe through religion, aspirations of regional independence, pollution and the silence of a region that is traditionally reserved in character but has always been dedicated to hard work.

The crisis that has hit Lebanon put on knees Syrian communities. This is the case of Marjayoun where about 5000 Syrian refugees live since the war broke out in Syria in March 2011. Along the border between Lebanon, Israel and Syria, 860 families live in 74 informal camps. The families are often numerous, with many children whose majority was born in Lebanon.
They live on agriculture, serving as laborers in the service of Lebanese landowners. The salary ranges from 4000 to 5000LL which is gradually losing purchasing power. As reported by Avsi, one of the NGOs in the area, people are suffering the consequences of the heavy inflation. Since the revolution broke out the official exchange rate of 1$=8000 LL (variable every day) has been joined by a parallel market. The concept involves the use of nylon used to cover furniture during the move. I wanted accentuate the refugees status, the political and work suspension and the expectations, by Syrian refugees, to come back home.

In Kenya Chang’aa is a spirit made from distilled grains like maize but is sometimes adulterated with petrol, methanol and even battery acid. Its nickname is “kill me fast”. It has been estimated that 5% of the population, or two and a half million people, are addicted (source NACADA). Continued consumption almost immediately leads to loss of bodily functions and in the longer term, forms of blindness and mental problems that mean habitual consumers frequently lose their jobs as a result. In Nyahururu in the Rift Valley is produced in isolated locations and used as a tradable commodity. In Nairobi business is booming above all in slums such as Kibera and Mlango Kubwa, where the children are often forced to witness or suffer violence and abuse. The government is trying to set up numerous rehabilitation centres all over the country