Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Banco Alimentare has assisted over 35,000 more people throughout Italy through its charitable organisations. In just one month of conflict, the Banco Alimentare has recorded a considerable increase in requests for support due to the arrival of refugees from abroad and the social and economic consequences that the war is beginning to cause in the country too.
In Lombardy alone, there are 200 charitable organisations that are declaring an increase in the number of people they assist due to the arrival of refugees. Their number is destined to grow over time and will concern not only the northern regions but also those of Central and Southern Italy, as they are already seeing in these days.
In 2021, Banco Alimentare had already registered a 7% increase in the number of people assisted compared to 2020. With the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, from the end of February to the end of March 2022, there was a 2% increase in the number of people assisted in one month.
According to the latest government surveys, more than 70,000 refugees have arrived in Italy. Despite the strong recovery recorded by ISTAT in 2021, the increase in prices (+1.9%) did not allow last year a decrease in the incidence of absolute poverty. Now price increases project an inflation of 5.7% for the current year, i.e. three times that of 2021.
“As always, we at Banco Alimentare put all our efforts into trying to cope with the situation that is being created of an increase in people in great difficulty, in close collaboration with the institutions, supporters and partners who always support us“, said Giovanni Bruno, President of Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus.
Original article in Italian here.
