Sardinia increasingly poorer, with a poverty rate that in 2023 rose to 15.9%, much higher than the national rate which stands at 9.7% of the population . There are 118 thousand families in difficulty on the Island , 9 thousand more than in 2022. In Italy they are 2 million 217 thousand, +1.4%.

These are the dramatic Istat data illustrated this morning in the Regional Council on the occasion of the XIV dossier of the diocesan Caritas of Cagliari .

And a first taste of what 2024 was like in the Cagliari area is given by the numbers provided by Caritas. The contacts made by the various services in 2024 were more than 180 thousand, in 2023 they were 20 thousand less . The soup kitchen service in Cagliari alone provided 121,084 meals from October 2023 to September 2024 (an average of 192 per day), while the soup kitchens in Settimo, Sinnai and Maracalagonis provided 34,740 . And the data only partially give an idea, because there are also numerous other soup kitchens for the poor.

More than 13 thousand packages distributed, 1,511 visits to the specialist medical office, 1,489 contacts of the Kepos Listening Center that deals with migrants . Other data that photograph the reality and give an idea of the enormous difficulties present in the territory and the great commitment of the many volunteers at the service of the most fragile people.

All indicators are growing, explains Caritas. And the majority of applicants are Sardinian, 71.7% to be precise . "The situation of males is worrying, as they show greater problems related to family relationships: they are often alone, unemployed and with housing problems ." The number of elderly people forced to turn to Caritas services is increasing significantly: 13.3% of the total, in 2018 it was just 7.6% .

Those who ask for help are mostly unemployed (51%) , but not only. 14.5% of the people who turn to Caritas have a job , an alarming sign of how today not even a salary can guarantee a dignified life. And again: 13.6% are housewives, 11.5% are pensioners . There are those who have an insufficient income (21.1%) and those who have no income (18.6%). Some do not have a home (3.7%), others are full of debt (2.6%), and still others have lost a job (1.7%). Many different profiles, behind which lie just as many different stories, with one common denominator: without the help of volunteers, you can't move forward.

As for foreigners, the number of homeless is increasing sharply. And it is mainly Bosnians and Ukrainians who turn to volunteers . A quarter of all migrants in difficulty have a higher education qualification.

The interventions focus both on the provision of goods and services, and on listening. And there are various causes that have led to the increase in the poor: wars, energy increases, the dramatic situation of health care, low wages.

The President of the Regional Council Piero Comandini also spoke at the presentation of the dossier: «We will provide more economic resources, but they are not enough , we also need to deploy human resources to create a social infrastructure capable not only of dealing with emergencies, but also of creating a new, more open, sensitive and supportive mentality».

"Poverty - concluded Comandini, thanking the Archbishop of Cagliari, Monsignor Giuseppe Baturi - in Sardinia is constantly growing, well above the national average . We must transform the numbers into actions, we just have to look the other way. Let each of us be the protagonist of solidarity".

(Unioneonline/L)

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