Projects

MANY PATHWAYS THROUGH WHICH WE HELP PEOPLE REGAIN THEIR PRODUCTIVITY AND RECONNECT WITH THE WORLD OF WORK

HOSPITALITY

The Aquilone Street Unit is an active project in the province of Trento supporting sex workers, both on the street and in housing, with particular attention to those experiencing situations of vulnerability, exploitation, or marginalisation.

The main objective is to protect the rights of the people, offering immediate and ongoing support and facilitating access to local health, social, legal, and psychological services. The intervention focuses on the urban and suburban areas of Trento and Rovereto, but may extend to the entire provincial territory according to the needs identified.

The team, composed of two professional educators, participates in Progetto Alba, an anti-trafficking project dedicated to the identification, assistance, and social integration of victims of trafficking or severe exploitation. This collaboration makes it possible to pay particular attention to indicators of possible trafficking and to activate appropriate protection and support pathways.

The work of the Aquilone Street Unit is developed through several actions: weekly street outreach, telephone and online contacts with those working in apartments, distribution of information and support kits, accompaniment to services, and guidance towards pathways of protection, autonomy, and empowerment.

The project also promotes information and awareness-raising activities on the rights of people involved in sex work, countering stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. Through workshops, meetings, and public initiatives, Aquilone works to increase community awareness and foster a more attentive understanding of the phenomenon of prostitution, trafficking, and exploitation.

Another important part of the project concerns monitoring the phenomenon and collecting data useful for analysing and improving interventions. The Street Unit collaborates with other organisations, participates in national monitoring activities, and shares good practices with other street units and with the National Anti-Trafficking Observatory.

Aquilone also manages communication activities through the Facebook and Instagram social media channels @uds_aquilone, where information on services, initiatives, and events is shared. The awareness-raising activities also include the podcast “Voci dal Silenzio”, which collects stories and testimonies centered around the people, their experiences, and their life paths.

The Rovereto Street Unit is a local service aimed at people experiencing marginalisation, vulnerability or exploitation.

Through the work of outreach workers, the service builds relationships based on listening and trust, providing information, guidance and support to the network of local services.

The aim is to reduce, where possible, the risks associated with living in the streets and to facilitate access to social support services according to the needs of the people we encounter.

Outreach work involves a number of different groups: homeless people, who have needs but also resources; practitioners, who act as facilitators of the care relationship; the network of local services; the community and civil society.

Street Unit contact details
342 8049679 – 340 5562480 – 331 6585715 

The ALBA – ‘LLAMBINA Project is funded by the Ministero italiano per le Pari Opportunità and by the Autonomous Province of Trento – Cinformi, as part of a co-design partnership involving Associazione Der Weg and Volontarius for the Province of Bolzano, and Punto d’Approdo for the Province of Trento.

Since August 2025, the ALBA – ‘LLAMBINA Project has been the only anti-trafficking organization operating within the Province of Trento.

In line with the National Action Plan Against Human Trafficking, the project addresses human trafficking through integrated pathways of protection, reception, social inclusion, and employment support. Activities include first contact with potential victims in high-risk environments, assessment of their situation, and, where appropriate, their inclusion in protection programs provided for by current legislation, particularly Article 18 of Legislative Decree 286/98.

The ALBA – ‘LLAMBINA Project supports women who have experienced international trafficking, human trafficking, and severe exploitation: on the streets, in nightclubs, or in hidden apartments. These women are often young and possess significant strengths and potential, yet their lives have been marked by violence, coercion, and restrictions on personal freedom.

Reception and support are conceived as opportunities: opportunities for choice, self-determination, protection, and the rebuilding of life paths. The team works to create a climate of trust by providing listening, information, healthcare and psychological support, guidance in understanding rights, and assistance in developing personal life plans.

The program also includes learning or improving the Italian language, support with documentation and residence permits, knowledge of the local area, access to services, and the development of healthy social relationships.

A central aspect of the project is employment autonomy. Women are supported in identifying their skills and aspirations through career guidance, vocational training, internships, and placement in regular employment settings.

The reception process concludes when participants have acquired the tools, competencies, and stable points of reference necessary to continue their journey independently, within a social and local support network capable of sustaining them.

Over time, the project has developed increasingly independent housing solutions: from its first accommodation facility at Casa l’Approdo to an apartment in the city, complemented by a second housing unit dedicated to the gradual development of autonomy. This transition has strengthened the responsibility, participation, and independence of the women involved in the project.

Since 2014, the Punto d’Approdo Social Cooperative has collaborated with Cinformi in the extraordinary reception service for citizens applying for international protection who are assigned to Trentino by the Italian Ministry of Interior Affair. The Cooperative is particularly active in Vallagarina, an area that hosts first- and second-level reception facilities. Since 2022, it has also made itself available to receive people arriving from Ukraine.

An applicant for international protection is a person who, outside their country of origin, applies in another State to receive protection. These are often men, women, children, and elderly people forced to leave their homeland because of wars, persecution, discrimination, violations of fundamental rights, natural disasters, or conditions of extreme poverty.

The people welcomed mainly come from Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Each person brings a different story, language, and culture, but all share the experience of uprooting, the journey, and the need to rebuild their present in a new context.

The reception pathway has a limited duration and develops through several stages: from emergency reception, including identification and health checks, to first reception, where the procedure for applying for international protection begins, together with guidance on services and the study of the Italian language. In second-level reception, people are placed in apartments distributed throughout the area, a model that promotes autonomy, integration, and relationships with local communities.

The project provides several support services: assistance in daily life, social support for the most vulnerable situations, legal guidance, psychological support, employment guidance, and activities aimed at building relationships with the local area.

Punto d’Approdo contributes through the work of reception operators, community relations workers in Vallagarina, and support for the employment guidance area, also thanks to young people involved in the Civil Service.

Second-level reception represents a delicate and important phase: the people welcomed learn Italian and civic education, take part in volunteering activities, learn to manage their documents, build relationships with the local area, and undertake training or employment pathways. It is a period of waiting and uncertainty, but also a fundamental step towards autonomy and the possibility of living a new life in peace.

For further information:

Website: www.cinformi.it
Facebook: Cinformi Immigrazione

LABORATORIO LE FORMICHINE

Since 2009, Punto d’Approdo has been running the “Le Formichine” project, in collaboration with Fondazione Famiglia Materna, which is supported by the Municipality of Rovereto, the Vallagarina Community, the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Job Centre.

The workshop was set up to support the social and labour market inclusion of women facing personal or family difficulties. It welcomes women of various nationalities who live in the province of Trento, offering personalised programmes to help them re-enter the world of work.

The workshop activities help to develop practical skills, independence, responsibility, punctuality, consistency and interpersonal skills. At the same time, they encourage socialisation, boost self-esteem and bring out personal strengths that often remain untapped.

Le Formichine is the first example of a Solidarity Economy District at provincial level: a project that involves the community while respecting people and the environment.

The activities span a range of sectors:

  • handcrafted items made from fabric, felt and paper;
  • food packaging;
  • cleaning at the Opera Barelli Foundation’s university hall of residence.

The ironing and laundry service, which had been provided in previous years, came to an end on 30 June 2025.

Find out more about the workshop’s activities and products on the website www.laboratorioleformichine.it and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Discover the latest from Laboratorio Le Formichine: handcrafted products, gift ideas and fair trade creations, made by hand with care, imagination and a focus on people and the environment.

 

Le Formichine Fair Trade Easter Egg

Our fair trade Easter eggs are back: available in milk or dark chocolate, in a 350 g pack, featuring little animals and colourful fabrics. You can buy the Fair Trade Easter Egg at the Le Formichine Workshop at Via Benacense II, 79/E in Rovereto and at Conad.

Price: €16.50

 

Le Formichine Picnic Bag

For those who love spending time outdoors, we’ve created our picnic bag: practical, original and crafted in the artisanal style of Le Formichine. The bag contains a tablecloth and a chopping board made in collaboration with our friends at the Girasole Cooperative. It can also be used as a placemat and is perfect for pairing with the GLUCK! blanket and water bottle.

 

GLUCK!

GLUCK! is the fair-trade glass water bottle with a natural felt case, made and assembled by the Le Formichine workshop. It is eco-friendly, healthy, transparent and fair-trade. The case provides insulation and temperature control, making it suitable for both chilled drinks in summer and hot herbal teas in winter. By buying GLUCK!, you’re supporting the training programmes for the women working in the workshop and choosing a useful, sustainable and environmentally friendly product.

 

Nursing pillow

The nursing pillow is a useful accessory for new mums, designed to support the baby whilst feeding and help the mum maintain a more comfortable position. It is practical, durable, easy to carry and can also be used at other times of the day. A useful, original and socially responsible gift idea.

 

Le Formichine notepad

The Le Formichine notepad is designed to be your everyday companion: for jotting down ideas, thoughts, important events, drawings or little reminders. A simple and useful product that supports the workshop’s project and embodies the spirit of solidarity.

 

Handcrafted pencil cases

Le Formichine pencil cases are versatile and colourful creations, suitable for school, make-up or organising personal items. Each pencil case is crafted with imagination and care, so you can always carry a practical, unique and socially responsible accessory with you.

Le Formichine’s Solidarity Eggs are back, looking even more beautiful and colourful than ever. A sweet and special gift idea, designed to support the training and employment projects for the women working in the workshop.

The eggs are available featuring new fabric animals: a cat, a hen, a dog and a kitten, alongside familiar friends such as the koala, panda, donkey and hippopotamus.

Every Solidarity Egg embodies the values of craftsmanship, creativity and solidarity. By purchasing one, you’re contributing to the personal growth, independence and employment integration of the young women at the Le Formichine workshop.

Order your Solidarity Egg today.

Le Formichine Workshop
Tel. 0464 435728
Email: leformichinelabo@puntodapprodo.it

Christmas is a time dedicated to the people we love, to thoughtful gestures and to the value of sharing.

The Christmas gift ideas from Laboratorio Le Formichine are designed to give every gift that little bit extra: solidarity. Every handcrafted product supports vocational training programmes for women in need and embodies the value of community.

In our workshop, you’ll find decorations, accessories and handmade creations, designed for those looking for an original, practical and meaningful gift.

Browse the catalogue on our new website www.laboratorioleformichine.it or come and visit us at the workshop: you’ll find plenty of Christmas gift ideas that combine beauty, craftsmanship and solidarity.

GLUCK! is a fair trade product handmade by the LaboratorioLe Formichine Social Workshop in Rovereto. It is a glass water bottle with a natural felt case, designed to be your everyday companion, offering an eco-friendly, healthy and fair trade choice.

Glass is a 100% recyclable material that is easy to clean, sterilise and reuse. It preserves the flavour of drinks and is ideal for anyone looking for a sustainable alternative to plastic.

The natural felt sleeve makes GLUCK! insulating and thermally effective, suitable for both chilled drinks in summer and hot herbal teas in winter.

Every GLUCK! is handmade by the women of the Le Formichine Workshop, which for over 10 years has been promoting training and work placement programmes for women in need. Buying GLUCK! means supporting a project focused on solidarity, training and inclusion.

Le Formichine are part of the Vallagarina Solidarity Economy District and operate with a focus on respect for people and the environment, using natural, eco-friendly and recyclable materials wherever possible.

For further information or to purchase your GLUCK!, please email leformichinelabo@puntodapprodo.it or call 0464 435728.

The Le Formichine workshop produces handcrafted items made from felt, fabric and paper, created by hand with care, imagination and attention to detail.

Each item is the result of the skill and creativity of the women in the workshop, who transform colours, materials and ideas into unique objects. Le Formichine is also a place of new beginnings, designed to offer fresh opportunities to women who have faced difficult times.

At the workshop, you can purchase original, practical and customisable handcrafted creations, including:

  • blanket bags and picnic bags;
  • stationery items;
  • fabric products, such as aprons and bibs;
  • handmade accessories;
  • face masks and toiletries bags;
  • our GLUCK! range;
  • and many other handcrafted creations.

Discover the products from Laboratorio Le Formichine and choose a handmade item that’s a joy to use and has a story to tell.

The workshop has a section dedicated to food packaging and was set up in accordance with HACCP regulations.

We do not process raw materials, but we do package food products such as herbal teas, teas, eggs, Easter cakes, panettone, hot chocolate and chocolates. The business mainly operates on a contract basis.

Would your company like to work with us?

Email us now at leformichinelabo@puntodapprodo.it

COMPLETED PROJECTS

Until 30 June 2025, the Le Formichine workshop had a dedicated ironing and laundry area.

This activity was very useful for our “little ants” as it enabled them to receive highly professional on-the-job training that could then be put to use in hotels and/or private homes.

The service was provided for businesses – residential communities, associations and a few bed and breakfasts – involving the collection, washing and ironing of linen. Items brought in by private individuals, however, were ironed only.

As part of the vocational training, we taught the participants how to identify fabrics and stains, and how to use the washing machine by selecting the correct programme, temperature settings and spin speed. We taught them how to set the iron temperature, which way to fold the items, and how to maintain a comfortable posture. The girls then had to interact with the customer, explaining any difficulties encountered and, finally, calculating the total cost. Naturally, they also had to welcome the customer when they brought in items for ironing and return them by the agreed deadline.

It was a tiring task involving many steps, all of which had to be memorised, and was therefore not easy. However, as in all jobs – and perhaps even in life – order helps and makes the task easier. An order that many of our “little ants” had lost due to the hardships they had faced in the past, and which we tried to rebuild together.

The Social Emergency Response Service, which ended on 31 December 2024, was designed to provide an immediate response to social emergencies, addressing situations of urgent need that could not be postponed, such as children suddenly left in a state of neglect, gender-based violence, and other social needs arising from sudden and unforeseeable events. The service will be operational when direct intervention by the relevant local social services in the affected areas is not possible, during the night, at weekends and in other cases where direct intervention by the relevant services is not feasible.

The service was managed by the Municipality of Rovereto, in collaboration with the Autonomous Province of Trento, through the outreach workers of the Street Unit of the Punto d’Approdo social cooperative in Rovereto.

The Social Emergency Response Service staff would respond in person within a 25 km radius and provide telephone advice beyond this distance. The Social Emergency Response Service would therefore find emergency solutions, before referring the relevant cases to the relevant social services department, which would then manage the individual situations.

At that time, and on a trial basis, the service could only be activated by law enforcement agencies (State Police, Carabinieri, Local Police) responding to the emergency.

FARm – Responsible Agricultural Supply Chain was a project set up to prevent and combat labour exploitation and illegal recruitment practices in the agricultural sector, through collaboration between institutions, businesses, social partners, universities and local organisations.

The aim was to promote a more responsible agricultural supply chain, capable of safeguarding workers’ rights, improving labour placement services and facilitating access to regular, safe and inclusive pathways.

The project focused on four main areas:

identifying situations of vulnerability and risk of exploitation, including through mobile monitoring units and outreach activities across the region;
access to inclusion services, psychological and physical protection, and support in finding employment for people who are victims of, or at risk of, exploitation;
improving public and private job placement systems in the agricultural sector, with the support of innovative legal, organisational and technological solutions;
promoting corporate social responsibility among agricultural businesses and enhancing the “Quality Agricultural Work Network”.

The project was coordinated by the University of Verona and involved numerous public and private partners, including universities, local authorities, agricultural organisations, employment services and third-sector organisations.

Among the partner organisations were Associazione La Strada – Der Weg Onlus, together with Cooperativa Punto d’Approdo and the Centro Italiano Femminile in Trento.

FARm has contributed to the development of tools and best practices to combat exploitation in agriculture, promoting legality, dignity in the workplace and shared responsibility throughout the supply chain.

 

Punto d’Approdo has always been active in the fight against gender-based violence. It is part of the Trentino anti-violence network and promotes awareness-raising and prevention activities every year.

Violence against women is a crime and constitutes a violation of fundamental rights. Combating it requires a constant and shared commitment between institutions, anti-violence services and the community.

In an emergency, you can call 112, a single, free-of-charge number that can be dialled even without a phone card. Specially trained operators are on hand to deal with incidents of gender-based violence.

Punto d’Approdo supports local networking efforts, contributing to prevention, raising awareness and fostering a culture based on respect for and the protection of women.

During 2018, our cooperative, Punto D’approdo, joined the “Ortinbosco e VitainCentro” project – an initiative launched by Rovereto City Council, funded by Caritro’s “Welfare a km 0” call for proposals and run in collaboration with other local bodies and organisations in Rovereto, aimed at the entire community.

The project, which is still ongoing, aims to regenerate physical spaces and create spaces for social interaction and education at two iconic locations: the historic centre and the city’s woodland, thereby fostering opportunities for wellbeing, social and economic development, and active citizenship.

VITAinCENTRO seeks to create physical meeting places in the historic centre to encourage socialising amongst people and promote initiatives that enhance the quality of life. Innovative measures aimed at older people are also planned, to help them continue living in their own homes.

Stories of lives that seemed lost but have returned to normality, rediscovering kindness. These are the twelve stories contained in *Madri in primavera* – the testimonies of twelve mothers who were guests at Casa Fiordaliso, the shelter for women with young children facing hardship.

The book is the ‘birthday present’ from the Punto d’Approdo Social Cooperative to mark its thirtieth anniversary – and, at the same time, the fifteenth anniversary of Casa Fiordaliso. The book – though one might also say everything that the cooperative’s staff and volunteers do quietly every day – features two special dedications: to Giuseppe Piamarta and to Lucia Tomazzoni Michelini. Respectively the cooperative’s long-serving director and president, both of whom passed away recently. “If we can run today, it is only thanks to those who taught us to walk,” reads the book’s dedication.

It was at Casa Fiordaliso that the project for the book *Madri in primavera* (Mothers in Spring) was conceived, bringing together the life stories of twelve residents. They serve as examples of the 500 women (from 35 different nationalities) who have passed through the centre over the past fifteen years. It tells the stories of mothers who have put themselves out there.

Sara Oriani Bazzanella and Donata Loss were responsible for collecting the stories: it fell to them to listen to and record the accounts, and then to put them down on paper, not without some emotion. The book (published by New Book) features an introduction by Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti and is enriched by illustrations by the pupils of the Depero school.

GET IN TOUCH
Facebook Whatsapp Instagram