WHAT IS OPERANDO, AND WHAT DO WE STAND FOR
We are a group of dedicated volunteers and lay missionaries. We can’t stand poverty; it is unfair and not something God wants. Most of the money we raise goes to missionaries or the people who need it the most.
The Operando Association is a voluntary, independent, non-profit organization, whose mission is financial and voluntary assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and groups, promoting charity and mutual help.
We believe that God is calling us to three basic tasks of our Christian life:
Travel
Jesus calls us to walk in his way and witness his work done among men, especially among the poorest. We are inspired by the word:
Jesus was going through towns and villages, telling the good news about God’s kingdom. (Luke 8,1)
Testimony
Jesus calls us to proclaim and bear witness to his work among people, be seen, heard, and felt by others. We are inspired by the word:
… and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5,15)
Donation
Jesus calls us to donate our time, talents, and gifts to other people, especially the poorest. We are inspired by the word:
Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me. (Matthew 25,40)
The Beginnings
The Operando Society was founded in December 2015 by the couple Silva and Nace Volčič, when they embarked on a missionary journey worldwide, from the community to community, from mission to mission, wherever kind and sincere people do their best to work for the poorest among us – neglected, ignored and pushed aside.
You can read their entire global missionary journey here >>
On their way, they testified about the work that God is doing through these people. They wrote about it and thus directed the readers’ attention to positive news because the media persistently convinces us that wars, riots, and disasters are all that is happening in this world.
In each of these communities, they worked as volunteers, while encouraging blog readers to donate financial contributions to the community’s specific needs and the most vulnerable individuals and families.
In the three years of their journey, the Society has evolved. The number of donors has increased, and the website operando.org has become a prominent Christian medium with more than 600 published contributions.
To date, we have helped with 17 different causes in 12 countries, in Europe, Asia, and South America and, with the help of donors, raised $ 30,351 in donations for these purposes.
What does Operando Mean?
The word Operando comes from the Latin word ‘Opera,’ which means ‘creation’ (creative work). It indicates what is happening in the present time and can be used most beautifully in the sentence:
Dio sta operando or ‘God is working’ (right at this moment).
The idea for the name of the society originates precisely from this truth: God is working – healing, saving, donating, creating – right now!
Or, as Jesus said:
My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working. (John 5:17)
Financial help
Our primary activity is financial assistance to vulnerable individuals and groups in alleviating their life hardships, either directly or indirectly, in partnership with organizations operating in third world countries. We raise money with the help of donors through events and the operando.org website.
Volunteering
If circumstances allow, our volunteers are directly involved in the community for which donations are collected, they volunteer, and respond to the people’s needs and projects.
We also focus on volunteering experience in third world countries by organizing preparations for volunteering, training for travel, and support for volunteers in their work.
Writing and publishing
Publishing articles on the operando.org website and the English page en.operando.org is one of our society’s most important activities.
With positive and profound content, we want to bring hope to people, both in the personal, spiritual realm and in their relationships. We want to help readers break free from prejudice, build bridges, and open up to the world. We encourage them to do charity and promote all the positive effects it brings to their own lives and the lives of others.
A world free of poverty and injustice.
We condemn exploitation (economic, political, social) and exploitation at the expense of those with fewer resources, resources, and opportunities. We encourage the deepening and spreading of awareness and sensitivity for people from the margins of our society.
Equality and reconciliation.
We condemn elitism, privilege, harassment, and division, and we promote reconciliation, acceptance of diversity, and freedom.
A world without prejudices.
We condemn racial and ethnic hatred and any other intolerance against dissenters, believers, and sentiments. But we encourage a broad view, acceptance, and love.
Building bridges, not walls.
We don’t want walls and closing in on others, even if we are afraid of it. We encourage people to explore the unknown, shake hands, forge bonds, and make friends.
The poor are our preferential choice.
We are always on their side. We want to take the side of an individual or a group in distress, injustice, material, or social insecurity. Where there are poor, there is Operando. Where there are weak, there is God.