Our mission
Merano Missionary Group "A well for life" (GMM) is a voluntary organisation founded by Alpidio Balbo. The GMM is mainly active in Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso with cooperation projects for development.
Other projects are being carried out in Africa – in Niger, Ghana, Cameroon, Chad, Kenya, Madagascar and Congo - and in South America – in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
Our mission is to work for the growth of developing countries and of their population, fostering the culture of dialogue and the feeling of brotherhood and solidarity among people.
The GMM, in agreement with local dioceses and charity organizations of the Catholic Church, supports projects in the fields of education, childhood care and assistance, healthcare, vocational training, environmental protection and recovery, and agriculture.
The GMM’s charter dates back to the 30th November 1984, but its history has began many years earlier. It was the 4th of March 1971, when Alpidio Balbo, a trader from Merano who spent some weeks in Lomé (Togo) to recover after a serious car accident, arrived at Bohicon, a small village in the South of Benin, which was called Dahomey at that time.
“If I look back to my way in the land where i live, and in the land that has become homeland to my heart, I am surprised and overwhelmed..."
Registration in the Runts
Merano Missionary Group "A well for life" has been registered in the National Single Register of the Third Sector (Runts) since 3 March 2023 under repertory number 105910.
The GMM is also registered in the Provincial Register for Voluntary Organisations pursuant to the Decree of the President of the Provincial Government No. 871.1 of 09.05.1995 and, under Article 10, paragraph 8 of Legislative Decree No. 460/97, is recognised as a de jure onlus.
Prior to the establishment of the Runts, in 2000, the GMM had been recognised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), eligible pursuant to Art. 28 of Law No. 49/1987 on Italy's cooperation with developing countries.
