Italy
There are places in the world where daily bread is not a certainty.
In Timor Leste, a small country in Southeast Asia, crops depend on unpredictable weather and land that cannot always guarantee a constant production of rice and corn, essential foods for the population.
In this context, spazio + spadoni has been promoting for some years a small fish farm that is becoming a concrete sign of hope, almost a modern image of the multiplication of the fish told in the Gospel.
Not a sudden miracle, but the fruit of solidarity, sharing, and work.
A project that feeds the future
The HIC SUM project was started by Sister Ansila, a religious sister who spent several years in Italy and returned to her homeland in October 2022, following the training of two of her fellow sisters at the Misericordia of Borgo a Mozzano, in the province of Lucca.
A social enterprise designed to guarantee food and create economic autonomy for the community.
Difficulties were not lacking. Torrential rains that hit the country between November 2022 and January 2023 delayed the transport and installation of the tanks, which were completed only in the spring of 2023.
In May, the first 365 fish were introduced, carefully separating males and females to promote sustainable farming. Two months later, another thousand specimens arrived, giving new momentum to the project.
Today, that intuition continues to yield concrete results. The fish are in high demand in the surrounding villages, and their sale makes it possible to economically support the religious community and its social activities.
Multiplying fish and opportunities
But the value of the initiative goes beyond the economic aspect. Being able to rely on a stable source of protein means improving the quality of nutrition for many families and offering new development prospects.
Fish farming thus becomes an intelligent response to the territory’s vulnerabilities.
Where rice and corn are not enough, fish can help feed a growing number of people, generating a virtuous circle of work, nourishment, and dignity.
It is proof that solidarity, when combined with competence and vision, can truly multiply opportunities.
As in the Gospel story, everything starts from a shared gift. In this case, it is not five loaves and two fish, but the work of spazio + spadoni, the trust of a community, the generosity of many benefactors, and the courage of a religious sister who chose to return to her native land.
From those initial 365 fish, a story was born that continues to grow and that recently, thanks to the support of the parish community, the Misericordia of Borgo a Mozzano, spazio + spadoni, and many people, gave birth to the OPERA M soup kitchen.
Photo by spazio + spadoni
