Centro Diaconale “La Noce” – Istituto Valdese
Il Centro Diaconale “La Noce” – Istituto Valdese, the “La Noce” Diaconal Center, is a social initiative of the Waldensian Church aimed to empowering individuals. The Center was established in the late 1950s through the efforts of a group of evangelical believers committed to supporting disadvantaged children in some of Palermo’s most deprived neighborhoods. This work was made possible by the financial and voluntary contributions of numerous friends worldwide. It reflects the Christian witness of the Waldensian and Methodist churches in Italy, whose presence in Palermo dates back to 1865 when the first Waldensian schools were opened.
The services offered by the Diaconal Center aim to empower individuals by overcoming social, cultural, and physical-psychological barriers, preventing marginalization and hardship, promoting diversity, and fostering conscious and responsible citizenship. The Center’s educational, social, and rehabilitative work is structured into two main areas: the educational sector and the social and rehabilitative sector.
Concerning the educational sector, the Waldensian schools in Palermo are a place of inclusion, dialogue, and learning within a secular environment open to children of all cultural, social, and religious backgrounds, as well as those with diverse physical and psychological conditions.
Concerning the social and rehabilitative sector, the Diaconal Center manages the “Casa dei Mirti”, a second-level hosting facility for unaccompanied foreign minors; the “Casa Vale la Pena”, a project developed in collaboration with the “Ufficio di Esecuzione Penale Esterna” (Uepe), the Palermo’s External Penal Execution Office, that provides a housing service for five people coming from the penal area; a Social Housing project, consisting of a co-housing space reserved for vulnerable persons facing temporary housing instability; a Home Educational Service, dedicated to children and families dealing with educational difficulties or at psycho-social risks; the “Martin Luther King” center, a day and night shelter for homeless individuals, offering comprehensive care for their needs; an outpatient rehabilitation centre for developmental disabilities in children and a home rehabilitation service for adults, both in agreement with the ASP, the Palermo’s public health agency. All the services and projects provided by the Diaconal Centre are realized under agreements and accreditations with the public body. Through its diverse programs, the “La Noce” Diaconal Center continues to provide crucial support and create opportunities for individuals and families in Palermo, upholding values of inclusion and social justice.