OUR STORY
It all began in 2012 when Raoul and Jali first met, deciding to change the world through the power of solidarity alone and to guarantee fundamental rights to the most vulnerable communities.
It all began in 2012 when Raoul and Jali first met, deciding to change the world through the power of solidarity alone and to guarantee fundamental rights to the most vulnerable communities.
It all started from a friendship and a shared dream: to restore dignity, hope, and opportunities to those forgotten by the world.
Thus Balouo Salo was born, an independent humanitarian organization committed alongside the most disadvantaged communities to guarantee access to drinking water, education, and healthcare.
Since 2013 we have implemented concrete and sustainable projects: wells, schools, medical and cultural centers that have already improved the lives of over 50,000 people.
Every intervention is born from listening, grows thanks to the active participation of local communities, and is based on the principle of self-determination,
because we believe true change comes from collaboration and the shared will to build a fairer future for all.
Read the story
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It was 2012 when Raoul, a young student of engineering and architecture, met Jali, musician and cultural mediator. Both shared the desire to give true meaning to their lives by serving others. They felt compelled to defend the voiceless, promote human dignity, brotherhood, and equity.
From that meeting a sincere and intense friendship was born, which years later transformed into something even deeper: Raoul's adoption into Jali's family in a remote village in southern Senegal, the ancestral land of Jali's family.
Over coffee and conversation, sharing dreams and ideals, Raoul and Jali began imagining a joint project: to bring hope and build a better future for the isolated and forgotten rural communities of southern Senegal.
They decided to embark on a first exploratory journey to get to know the people, their difficulties, and the context in which to intervene. Upon their arrival at the village, they were welcomed by thousands of people: women, men, and children singing loudly a song that said "We all want fresh water". It was a cry of hope, a collective desire.
During meetings with the elders, a recurring story emerged: they spoke of a demon that had destroyed crops and contaminated well water. That “demon” was nothing but the invisible but devastating impact of climate change, which had rendered the land barren and the water unsafe, bringing poverty and illness.
It was at that moment, confronted with so much suffering and urgent need, that Raoul and Jali decided: they would find a solution.
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Tornati in Italia, Raoul e Jali coinvolsero un team di volontari, professionisti in varie discipline, per studiare il “demone” e trovare una soluzione capace di fermare quel fenomeno devastante attraverso la realizzazione di una diga. Furono coinvolti esperti da ogni parte del mondo, tutti accomunati dal desiderio di condividere un sogno: aiutare quella comunità dimenticata.
Fu allora che un anziano saggio del villaggio suggerì il nome dell’associazione: "Balouo Salo", che in lingua mandinga significa “un ponte per la vita”. Un nome che simboleggia perfettamente l’essenza del progetto: la solidarietà come ponte tra mondi diversi, capace di unire, dare speranza e restituire dignità alle comunità più vulnerabili.
Anche se il primo progetto era già nato, nel 2014 l’organizzazione viene ufficialmente registrata in Italia come organizzazione di beneficenza con la missione di trasformare la solidarietà in uno strumento concreto per cambiare il destino delle comunità più fragili.
Anno dopo anno, grazie all’impegno di un numero crescente di volontari e sostenitori, Balouo Salo ha realizzato pozzi, trivelle, impianti di depurazione, scuole, centri medici e culturali. Ha formato e sensibilizzato migliaia di persone in Senegal e nel mondo, ha difeso i diritti delle comunità vulnerabili anche ai più alti livelli diplomatici. Ha permesso a migliaia di donne di accedere a cure mediche fondamentali, e a migliaia di bambini di studiare in ambienti più sani, sicuri e dignitosi.
Ad oggi, l’organizzazione ha raggiunto oltre 50.000 beneficiari, grazie esclusivamente al contributo di una community di sostenitori che condividono un sogno: costruire un mondo più giusto, un ponte per la vita.
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Today Balouo Salo is a free and independent voice, fueled by a single belief: that life needs bridges, not walls. Bridges made of friendship, justice, passion, and a deep love for humanity.
Over time, its humanitarian approach has become a model of sustainability and resilience, based on listening to communities, using appropriate technologies, and collective participation. The organization’s independence — free from political, religious, and economic interests — has allowed it to achieve rare and exemplary results, building a present made of dignity and hope for thousands of people.
Yet the future is not a destination but a constantly evolving horizon. Ambitions grow, as does the community of supporters and volunteers who believe in a fairer world. A world where water, health, and education are no longer privileges but universal rights. A world where no one is left behind.
Balouo Salo will continue building these bridges, with the same strength of the dreams that created it. Because believing in solidarity means having the courage to imagine tomorrow — and to build it, together.
Support and be part of the community
Raoul and Jali meet and the desire to create something unique and extraordinary is born.
Foundation of Balouo Salo (Italy)
Recognition of ONLUS status (Italy)
Design of the bridge-dam (Senegal) | Study of the salt intrusion phenomenon | Collaborations with Universities (Italy) | Giovanni Lorenzin Award (Italy) | Presentation at EXPO Milan (Italy) | Federico II International Solidarity Award
Raoul's adoption by the community (Senegal) | Training of 15,000 people (Senegal) | Donation of 15,000 pens to schools (Senegal) | Conferences at universities in Europe | Conference at Milano Arch Week (Italy) | Birth of the international event Kaira Looro (Italy)
Training in 85 villages on desertification | Construction of a well in Sambacounda (Senegal) | Kengo Kuma conference in Dakar (Senegal)
Construction of the Multipurpose Cultural Center in Tanaff (Senegal) | Construction of the well in Sanoufily (Senegal) | Diplomatic meetings with Senegalese Ministries | Workshops in elementary schools (Senegal) |
Donation of COVID-19 prevention materials (Senegal) | Workshops in elementary schools (Italy) | Workshop with refugees and asylum seekers (Italy) | Tree planting to combat desertification (Senegal)
Women’s Day in Baghere (Senegal) | Donation of school supplies to 10 schools (Senegal) | Women’s rights conference (Italy)
Construction of Talicourtou Well (Senegal) | Renovation of Simbandi Brassou school (Senegal) | Renovation of Boukarkounda medical guard (Senegal) | Women’s Day in Tanaff (Senegal) | Donation of tables and desks to 5 schools (Senegal) | Construction of a well in Kenewal (Senegal)
Construction of deep well in Moyafara (Senegal) | Donation of ultrasound machines to Baghere and Kolibantang (Senegal) | Completion of the Multipurpose Cultural Center in Tanaff (Senegal) | Balouo Salo Charity Award Kengo Kuma (Japan) | Balouo Salo Charity Award Agostino Ghirerdelli (Italy) |
Start of construction of Balouo Salo community center (Senegal) | Start of construction of child malnutrition center (Senegal) | Maintenance of wells (Senegal) | Diplomatic recognitions by the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal | Construction of the road to Baghere medical center (Senegal)
Construction of Balouo Salo community center (Senegal) |
Construction of Child Malnutrition Center (Senegal) |
Inauguration of deep well in Baghere (Senegal) |
Renovation of Sanoufily well |
Renovation of Sanoufily elementary school
— Raoul Vecchio, President of Balouo Salo
Help us change the worldInternational Solidarity Award, official thanks from the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal. Adoption of founder Raoul Vecchio by local communities testifies to our concrete impact and the process of integration against all stereotypes and prejudices.
We have involved and raised awareness among tens of thousands of people from over 125 countries, creating an international network of solidarity and consciousness in defense of the most vulnerable communities.
All our projects have been carried out without the help of governments, political parties, or international organizations, but solely through the strength of supporters. Every euro donated has been entirely allocated to the projects, with zero management costs.
Not a privilege, but the right of every human being. We have brought drinking water and essential care to thousands of people in rural areas of southern Senegal, there where no one else had set their eyes before.
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