From Beijing to Pedrengo, Solema’s aid for the Covid-19 highly affected areas
March 2020, Pedrengo
Solema srl is located in the province of Bergamo, one of the areas in Italy most affected by the recent health emergency.
Looking at our terriTory so devastated by the Covid-19 and suddenly facing this widespread pandemy, has generated in us the will to do something useful and concrete.
March 2020, Beijing
Chinese charity Beijing One Heart Sphere Charity Foundation (BOHS) becomes aware of the seriousness of the health situation that Italy and the area of Bergamo are experiencing. At this purpose they start to look for safe and reliable Italian companies able to collaborate in a charity project called Forza Italia Project, which aim is to provide personal protection material (PPE) and other medical equipment in the most affected areas.
March 2020, Pedrengo-Beijing axis
When Mr. Finn Nielsen, Solema Sales Representative in China, learns about Forza Italia Project, he immediately talks about it with Solema ownership, who accepts the challenge right away.
This made the meeting between Solema ‘aim to help’ and BOHS ‘request of cooperation’ possible.
April 2020, Forza Italia Project start
Solema promptly accepted the challenge, confirming the willingness to collaborate 24/7 to the success of the Charity project, this, in the midst of a very particular time, when here in Bergamo and nearby people begin to count the deaths in hospitals and homes.
"Helping the neediest": Solema’s total commitment to fulfill the mission of the project
BOHS has found in Solema a reliable partner that acted as guarantor and supervisor for whole operations, especially on the final destination of the material that had to arrive in the places where it was really needed.
Remembering similar experiences in other areas of Italy, where aid has not arrived or has ended up in wrong places, the Chinese foundation would like to be sure that aid reaches the structures in real need.
While in China funds are being raised for the production of material to be sent to Italy, Solema works busily to provide a careful analysis of the health facilities to which aid should be sent.
A very complex and detailed analysis has been made here, which has required specific checks and a certified data collection to find out which truly were the facilities and nursing homes most in need.
At the beginning, the list also included the two main hospitals in Bergamo: Papa Giovanni XXIII and Humanitas Gavazzeni, which have been subsequently excluded, as they already benefited from numerous other aid.
It was thus preferred to concentrate researches on other secondary structures which were in danger of being totally abandoned by charitable operations.
In order to prove the effective state of emergency of them, BOHS has been provided with photographs and direct testimonies that certified the real difficulties faced by these facilities.
The final list of the aid recipients included:
- Hospital and nursing houses, with priority for smaller and barely supplied ones;
- Families, especially those with COVID-19 patients in isolation;
- Volunteers and Priests, for the daily management of citizens and services in support of the population;
- Homeless, providing care and protection to the to associations that take care of them.
April 22nd, 2020: donations arrive in Italy, ready to be stored in Solema warehouses
The shipment of these goods left from China on April 12th 2020 and arrived in Bergamo after ten days. Solema Srl aimed to cover all the shipping, logistics and distribution costs arisen from this operation from China to Italy.
This generous donation boasts a total of about 100.000 PPE, including:
- 7.500 KN95 masks
- 45.000 Surgical masks
- 50.000 Gloves
- 2.100 Protective gowns
- 1.700 Protective shields
All the goods have been stored in Solema warehouses in Pedrengo, waiting to be distributed to the selected structures, operation that required to pack once more the supplies after the first overall screening.
Many volunteers contributed to these operations, including some of Solema’s employees: people who demonstrated excellent commitment and dedication, challenging the dangers of a possible contagion. A voluntary and unpaid commitment that has proved to be essential for the perfect functioning of the project.
A very special thanks goes to them.
And a heartfelt thanks goes also to Mr. Finn Nielsen, our agent in China; without him this would have never been possible.
Last but not least, a huge thank you to BOHS for believing in us, entrusting us with this delicate task that we are proud to have accomplished. With the hope, in our small way, of having helped to save as many lives as possible.
“Sharing, cooperation and dedication: values in which Solema strongly believes”
"At the basis of this project there are sharing, collaboration and dedication, values in which Solema firmly believes: sharing a common project, collaboration in its achievement and dedication to achieve the stated goals” these are the words of Luca Parsani, CEO of Solema, who, with the help of his staff of collaborators and the support of the property, has coordinated all the shipment and distribution operations of the goods.