The EVERY ONE Village by Save the Children at Milan EXPO is attracting visitors from around Italy and everywhere else. Everyone is curious to understand the different challenges faced by children in tough situations and find ways to solve them. Having achieved success in previous years with the village, the interactive set-up is all set to engage visitors on topics of maternal and child health.
The installation is made of simple materials such as spruce wood and bamboo and surrounded by a green area. It is located on a 800 square meters plot that has been assigned to us.
Innaugrated in May 2015, the Village is attracting over 1000 people every day and 40% of those are children.
A child's experience
In July, Benedetta, a high school student, visited the Village. At the beginning of the visit she, like all the visitors, had been twinned with a far off child and experienced his/her harsh living conditions.
Thanks to the interactive installations and sensorial experiences inside the Village, she discovered the devastating impact malnutrition has on children and drew inspiration from this to try to change the life of those children.
“In the Village I was Bayutu, an Ethiopian child. This experience was so interesting that I decided to include it in my high school term paper. I tried to focus my project on EXPO main message: a research on what everyone can do to fight against global food imbalance.
In the conclusion of the paper I mentioned the experience in Save the Children Village: Bayutu is just one of the million children dying every year from malnutrition. I was really touched by the work of the community health workers, who dedicate themselves to helping these children, to give them a future and opportunities, people that work hard TO BE THE CHANGE in children’s lives, a strong and inspiring call to action!”
Beyond the Village
Save the Children Italy has also been organising various events at the EXPO - from shows and exhibitions to high level conferences and seminars - on the theme of maternal and newborn health.
Among the events being held, one worth mentioning is "Starting from girls: they are the source to trigger a change!"
On the 3rd July, Save the Children and WE-Women for EXPO hosted, at the Conference Center Expo, this big event dedicated to the key role of adolescents in the agricultural sector, to the improvement of nutrition of children and food security of entire communities, all in the perspective of a sustainable agriculture. The event brought together international speakers, representatives of institutions and of the Civil Society, United Nations Organizations, the Private Sector and Academia.
“If we want to end extreme poverty and hunger, we have to remove the barriers that stop girls and young women fulfilling their potential. We need a new coalition, across government, civil society and business, that champions investment in girls. The Sustainable Development Goals should be a platform for action, so that no girl is left behind’ said Jasmine Whitbread, CEO, Save the Children during the conference.
In addition, Save the children has been building strong partnerships with other pavilions, among them being US, Belgium, Brazil.
As a result, on 4 July, Save the Children joined Independence Day Celebrations at the US pavilion, who decided to donate part of the day’s proceeds to Save the Children.
Take a look at the video of the Village to get an idea of the mood at Milan EXPO 2015.