Out of death, Gisella comes back to life to serve others in Bangladesh
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - When a car crashed into a lorry parked along a highway in northern Italy, only Gisella Aschedamini,* now 64, survived. Her husband, two daughters and a granddaughter died instantly. It was 1994. Three years later, in 1997, she began "a different, immensely different life" that brought her to Bangladesh alongside the priests of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). Working with them, she built hostels, maternity clinics, churches, as well as an extensive network of long-distance adoptions.
"I would be ungrateful to God and everyone else if I said I had no satisfaction in this life," Gisella told AsiaNews. "I am not dead, nor am I exhausted. In fact, I am very much alive and strong. I would not be alive had I not been certain that I was going towards the Father to a completely different and joyful world, where I will meet my loved ones again."
Months of hardship followed the accident. In this period, "only a grace convinced me not to end it. I realised that suicide, even if understandable, would have caused pain. I also realised that I was not completely washed up, that I still had some distance to go towards the Father."
As she put her life back together, she met Vittorio Pellegrini, a gynaecologist, and a widower, and married him on 18 October 1997. For their honeymoon, they went to Bangladesh, where Fr Ezio Mascaretti, a PIME missionary and Gisella's family friend, has worked since 1981. Since then, every year they go back for extended periods, to bring help, check the condition of previous works and organise new ones.
The mission Gisella and Vittorio set out includes setting up maternity and medical clinics, hostels, embroidery and sewing workshops, and promoting micro-credit programmes.
Back in Italy, they have created a network of long-distance adoptions that currently helps about 700 children with food, medicine and basic schooling.
Today, adopting a child often means adopting a village. This way, "we become intermediaries, provide resources and leave it to the missionaries to decide how best to use them, whether it is a well, a pharmacy, or money to help everyone."
After setting up their first maternity clinic inside St Vincent's Hospital in Dinajpur, they have continued to bring in medical supplies, including ultrasound equipment, incubators, beds, medical drugs, solar panels for electricity and air conditioning for the surgery room.
"Originally, my idea was to open a hospital, but I realised that it was impossible because of the cost and the availability of doctors," she explained. Thus taking advantage of Vittorio's experience as a gynaecologist, they turned to setting up village clinics to help future mothers.
Together, Gisella and Vittorio also set up four orphanages, home to children aged 6 to 15 years: three for girls, and one, in Rajapur, mixed. Most of the residents are Christian, but the schools attached to these facilities are open to everyone: Muslims, Hindus and Christians. A fifth hostel is under construction.
Gisella's support for two embroidery schools in Bonpara and Moladuli (Natore District), in northern Bangladesh) is another of her achievements.
"These facilities employ about 200 women," she told AsiaNews, "and operate as educational centres. Some of the women have become great embroiderers; others are just starting."
"Their products sell well in Italy," she explained, "less so locally. For this reason, they have specialised in Italian styles and designs, such as flowers, butterflies and dolls for children cot sheets. We provide linen, whilst they have a nice cotton from India."
Over time, "to empower women, we have set up a nursery for embroiderers run by the Missionaries of the Immaculate," which is associated with PIME.
In March 2014, Gisella Aschedamini won the popularity prize at the 16th 'Woman of the Year' Award, an international event sponsored by the legislative council of Italy Valle d'Aosta Region.
With 20 years of experience in cooperative banking, Gisella decided to invest the 10,000 Euro cash prize in micro-credit projects for women.
"Credit is customised," she explained. The women "usually ask for loan to buy seeds, wood, or embroidery material. Others want to buy chickens to lay eggs or chicks to raise. Unfortunately, some ask for loans to pay for medical expenses. The more ambitious want to buy a sewing machine to start their own business. We encourage this attitude, but we also try to fund simpler projects."
Women also "tend to repay their loans," she said. "Without such projects, they could not hope for a bank loan. In Bangladesh, banks require collateral and no one has any. Interests are also high, up to 15-20 per cent. Our dream would be to do it [offer loans] at zero interest."
In 17 years of mission, "Bangladesh has changed so much, and so have I," she said. "Communication media have improved a lot, as did some infrastructures. When people and goods are allowed to travel without wasting time and perishable products are properly stored, everything improves."
"I walk towards my loved ones and towards the Father. Like others, I have my moments of doubt, but I cannot and I will not accept them. I do not want this life to just be a spin."
* Gisella Aschedamini's full story will be published in the June issue of AsiaNews monthly magazine (in Italian).
.png)
