Kala Onlus’ mission is to encourage sharing between foreign and local communities by combating all forms of discrimination and offering services for children and their families.
The name Kala evokes the Association’s mission: in the Tarzan of the Apes book by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Kala is the gorilla mother who finds the little man and welcomes him in his world with love and respecting its peculiarities. The name of the Association is therefore imbued with values such as peace, solidarity, social justice and protection of human rights.
The social reality with which Kala Onlus confronts is the district Ballarò/Albergheria, which is located in the heart of the historic center of Palermo and is characterized by situations of economic, social and cultural hardship and by the strong presence of immigrant population. One of the consequences is the problem of integration since, even if the cohabitation between natives and migrants is relatively good, it is not possible to speak about an intercultural society, rather a multicultural reality, in which the present communities tolerate each other and interact very little.
In this particular context, the children’s condition is the most problematic, also due to the absence of municipal structures capable of satisfying the specific needs of the 6% of the district.
Due to the lack of accommodation facilities, Kala Onlus supports the creation and maintenance of nurseries, baby parking and playrooms, such as Il Giardino di Madre Teresa, providing a real opportunity for all those native and immigrant women, with serious socio-economic discomfort, that want to start an entrepreneurial activities, a professional development and finding independent living spaces.
In particular, Kala Onlus manages a unique reality such as Il Giardino di Madre Teresa, an intercultural kindergarten where children are involved in creative activities, psychomotor, art and reading aloud laboratories. In addition, the Association carries out a donation service for basic foodstuffs, clothes, toys and baby care products, thanks to the creation of food counters and benches for children. Finally, it organizes training courses for parents and, in particular, for the mothers of Ballarò, providing pedagogical, logistical and economic support.