The SPeRA web Portal for Cooperation Associations and Projects in Africa

The importance of Organizations and Private Volunteer Projects for International Development Cooperation is widely recognized. However, although there are some websites that collect and describe information on welfare societies, very few are aimed at a detailed description of the projects. In particular, at the Italian level, the associations working for development cooperation in Africa are poorly described on the Internet, and this makes responses to humanitarian needs less efficient than they could be. Indeed, for very fruitful operations, collaborations between associations as well as funding for projects are very productive. Therefore, the dissemination of information and data in a scientific way is crucial in the framework of development cooperation. With this in mind, a web portal was created for the promotion and dissemination of humanitarian projects. It is the result of the joint work of a multidisciplinary team that includes university researchers, technology specialists and volunteers from non-profit associations. It currently places particular emphasis on small Italian associations operating in Africa, aimed at making their voices heard and promoting their activities. This contribution introduces this portal, showing how to insert it in the scenario of humanitarian projects, favoring the use of technologies for development cooperation.