La Mongolfiera
The Girotondo Onlus home for women and children escaping violence. We rise slowly, together, until the air is easy to breathe again.
Scroll to climb aboard
Every dot is a person.
A woman or a child who came here after leaving a home that was no longer safe. Each with their own story, their own fear, their own courage.
92 people welcomed since we opened.
- 34 women
- 58 children
Almost two in three of the people we welcome are children. Violence never hurts just one person.
The crew that keeps us on course.
- 15women support workers specialised in gender-based violence
- 5women lawyers
- 4women language and cultural mediators
Every person we welcome is a story starting again.
We keep the fire burning. She sets the course.
What happens on board
A safe place and people who know how to help.
Women often arrive at La Mongolfiera with very little: sometimes holding their children's hands, with a bag packed in a hurry. From there, they start again, one step at a time.
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Protection
A safe place where women can sleep peacefully with their children, while things outside are put back in order.
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Listening
Fifteen women support workers specialised in gender-based violence walk beside each woman on her journey, at her own pace and without judgement.
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Legal protection
Five women lawyers help each woman find her way through police reports, separation and protecting her children: the most frightening questions of all.
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In your own language
Four women language and cultural mediators, so that those who come from another country can tell their story in their own words.
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The children
More than half of the people we welcome are children. They need to be listened to as well: violence that is seen and heard leaves invisible wounds.
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What comes after
The goal is for women to make their own choices again: where to live, how to work, how to raise their children.
No easy promises
Leaving violence behind is a journey, not the flick of a switch.
Women who come to us often hope everything will be sorted out straight away: a home, a job, a police report that closes the story. It doesn't work like that, and we'd rather say so clearly. Trust is built on the truth.
First contact
A phone call to 1522 or to an anti-violence centre. You talk, the risk is assessed, and together you decide what to do.
Getting to safety
If needed, a place in a safe house, together with your children.
How long justice takes
A police report doesn't lead straight to an arrest or an electronic tag. There are steps and procedures that take time, sometimes a long time: you don't face them alone.
Starting again
Documents, a job, a new home. It takes time, but every step is yours.
One thing we can promise: while you wait, you're not alone.
Asking for help
The first step is a phone call.
1522 and anti-violence centres work out the safest path with you, which may include a place in a safe house. Calling doesn't commit you to anything.
With the support of
Charity Fund of Intesa Sanpaolo
WIS, the project that grew up around La Mongolfiera, is supported by the Charity Fund of Intesa Sanpaolo.