Milan: “We Help You to Help Yourself”—The Project of the Fondazione Welfare Ambrosiano

Abstract

The Fondazione Welfare Ambrosiano in Milan was created by a heterogeneous group of actors to support individuals and families dealing with short-term risks and reducing economic precariousness. This is done through the promotion of access to micro-credits by persons who lack financial guarantees and/or have a past record of “bad payers”. Two types of micro-credits are available: “social credit”, reserved for persons who can hardly afford crucial expenses (such as the payment of university fees for their children or unexpected health expenditures) and credit for self-employment, to overcome unemployment or underemployment. The basic guidelines for actual and future programmes are an active approach to hardships following the idea of “we help you to help yourself” and the rotation of existing funds in order to be sustainable long term.