Le Manzane in Ghana to support the “In My Father's House” mission

The ®Vendemmia Solidale, the traditional charity event promoted every year by the Le Manzane winery, takes an important step beyond the Italian borders, landing in Africa for the first time. The proceeds of the 2025 edition, scheduled for Sunday 7 September, will be donated to the construction of a school in Ghana, within the mission “In My Father's House”, founded by the Combonian missionary Father Giuseppe Rabbiosi, also known as Father Peppino.

On Wednesday (yesterday, ed.), Father Peppino visited the Le Manzane winery, spending a whole day with the Balbinot family. In the afternoon he met the partners and supporters of ®️Vendemmia Solidale who, together with the close-knit staff of volunteers, have already started working to best organize the September event.

Father Giuseppe Rabbiosi's mission, located in the Upper Volta region in southeastern Ghana, works to combat poverty, illiteracy and child labor, offering shelter and education to thousands of children. In the Abor village-house, the heart of the project, 800 children attend classes every day: 70 are vulnerable residents, 80 live in the structure in a boarding house, others reach school on foot or thanks to the transportation service provided by the mission. There are approximately 200 schools open so far, of which 160 have been taken over by the Ministry of Education of Ghana and 40 are still managed by the mission. In total, over 5,000 children receive an education every day thanks to In My Father's House.

"Education is the key to escaping poverty. It is not enough to intervene in the emergency, it is essential to build a sustainable future for the new generations", declared Father Peppino, underlining how many young people, trained by the mission, are now qualified professionals. In addition to basic education, the mission has activated two professional schools for tailors, electricians and welders.

The Volta Region is characterised by a high level of poverty with 26.9% of children between the ages of 5 and 17 subjected to child labour, the average age of starting work being 9 years old and only 76.6% of the population over the age of 15 being able to read and write.

"Here in Italy, once we have identified the needs of the mission, we work to raise the necessary funds," explained Mario Cincotto, a volunteer for the twin association, Nella Casa del Padre Mio, which supports the projects of In My Father's House with fundraising, procurement of materials and sending volunteers.

Last November, the owner of the Le Manzane winery, Ernesto Balbinot, and his daughter Anna, were hosted by Father Peppino in his village and helped donate two minibuses to the mission, essential for allowing children to travel between schools and hospitals.

"We have seen with our own eyes - Ernesto and Anna Balbinot declared - that every donation really reaches where it is needed, contributing concretely to the realization of the works necessary for the daily activities of children and the population. We have come back enriched from this experience. For this reason we have decided to commit ourselves to financing the construction of a school. If more pressing needs were to emerge, we will still allocate the funds collected where the need is greatest".

The ®Vendemmia Solidale is an event open to all, a way to be together having fun and doing good, toasting to a better future, even on the other side of the world.