Dear Friend
Cute Project was started two years ago. First of all, its name…it wanted to challenge our minds in Italy playing with the meaning of the Italian word cute = skin and the English cute for nice……. Could it actually embrace the two meanings? Shall we use the English pronunciation or the Italian one?
Since when we started our project, somehow afraid of not being able to make it, those questions repeated over and over again have given us more strength. It meant we cared for it and besides, that name could really be our logo, which would allow the project to be easily remembered.
Since then, we have grown rapidly. We were born inside the local non-profit organization for studies and research on burns ‘Fondazione Piemontese Studi e Ricerche sulle Ustioni Simone Teich Alasia Onlus’, thanks to Professor Gilberto Magliacani, who supported us and in 2014 we were able to become autonomous, although we still share common goals and friendship.
Our utopian idea to form an association of professionals from different sectors, each of them involved in a common project, has worked beautifully even though it still sounds unusual to think of a medical project where not only surgeons are involved but also experts in logistics, communication, research. The real engine of ‘Cute Project Onlus’ is our team, the way we work to solve problems and open up to new ideas which our medical world would never consider.
Our project to offer training in reconstructive plastic surgery has already been successful in 3 humanitarian missions in Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2013, Republic of the Congo 2014, Benin 2014). We have also started, in Turin, the first pro-bono clinic of plastic surgery, the first in Italy, as well as a project aimed at preventing burns among young people….and plenty of ideas to develop and carry on in the future.
In 2015 we have planned 2 more missions, in Benin in June and in Uganda in October.
Our project in Benin will aim at continuing our training at N’Dali Hospital, so as to set up a reference team there.
In Uganda we will cooperate with the Regional Hospital of Fort Portal on a reconstructive plastic surgery training project. We have been asked to provide local staff with active training as for the treatment of burns, scars and deformities.
Your help will allow us to develop our project so as to respond to the growing training needs in those two countries and set up a mutual beneficial cooperation programme in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery.
Thank you in advance for your attention.
Daniele Bollero
President of Cute Project Onlus