Two Cesvi Foundation podcasts on Ethiopia and Gaza awarded at the Piacenza National Awards
The “ Podcast of the Year ” award, assigned by the Italian Podcast Awards 2025 – Il Pod , went to “ Borena: la terra senza pioggia ”, created by Fondazione Cesvi (the only humanitarian organization among this year’s finalists) with Valerio Nicolosi and LifeGate . The work focuses on the devastating impact of drought in Ethiopia , where the climate crisis has upended the lives of an entire population that traditionally lived off herding and agriculture and is now facing a dramatic humanitarian crisis.
"This victory represents an important result for us, which confirms how the public is increasingly attentive and sensitive to what happens in the world and to the stories of those who remain invisible", is the comment of Roberto Vignola , deputy general director of Cesvi, who collected the coveted awards during the final evening held in Piacenza, together with the author of the podcast. "Climate change is no longer a distant emergency, but a reality that endangers the lives of millions of people, and with "Borena" we have attempted to give a voice to those who face the weight of this catastrophe on a daily basis, fighting courageously, with all their strength, for survival. We are proud and grateful to have had at our side in this innovative project the journalist and author of the podcast, Valerio Nicolosi, together with LifeGate, distinctive voices in the Italian journalistic panorama, attentive scholars of current affairs and promoters of transparent information that is always oriented towards human rights and the environment. Finally, thanks to Il Pod for this prestigious recognition that encourages us to always find new ways to give voice to those in the world who find themselves having to face, against their will, the greatest challenges and emergencies of our time".
"Winning with a podcast like this is important because it gives the opportunity to talk about climate change and the living conditions of migrants in their countries of origin," Nicolosi emphasizes. "We often focus on wars, I myself tell from the field what happens on the fronts, but droughts or floods have a devastating impact on populations."
“Borena: the land without rain” is divided into six episodes, within the Hudepe project, in the displaced agro-pastoral communities living in that territory. It is an intervention promoted by Cesvi thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – Aics . «In Borena the landscape has nothing that can be traced back to water or anything humid», explains Valerio Nicolosi. «The only drier thing is the sandy desert. Here a community of 9,000 people saw all their livestock die and was forced to abandon their home in search of help. Life for these people is really hard, the populations adapt with the little they have. The lack of food is also visible on the faces of these people. The situation is particularly serious for children who suffer from acute and severe malnutrition».
The podcast takes the listener on a journey through the Borena region of Oromia , Ethiopia, one of the areas most affected by the climate crisis in the Horn of Africa . Since 2021, Borena has been experiencing one of the worst droughts in decades, with six consecutive seasons of insufficient rainfall that have caused the disappearance of water sources and, with them, livestock, the main economic resource for local communities. Currently, nearly one million people (918,000 to be exact) still do not have enough water and across the region,
recording increasing levels of acute malnutrition. Cesvi has been present in Borena since 2021, with interventions aimed at countering the effects of drought and strengthening the communities' ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change and internal migration.
At the prestigious national award dedicated to the excellence of the world of Italian podcasting, Cesvi also deserved the award for best podcast in the News category with “ Inside Gaza – Quello che il mondo non vede ”, created in collaboration with Factanza Media and with the direct voices of Cesvi humanitarian workers from the Gaza Strip , Giulio Cocchini and Marcelo Garcia Dalla Costa . «Having reached the final with “Inside Gaza” is a source of deep pride for us, which shows us how much listeners have recognized the value of a raw story, conceived to narrate the emergency with authenticity, looking for answers where everything is silent», explains Vignola.
The Pod – Italian Podcast Awards was conceived by Maura Gancitano, Andrea Colamedici and Fabio Ragazzo , with the artistic direction of Rossella Pivanti , and was created by the Fondazione Teatri di Piacenza and promoted by Rete Cultura Piacenza , which includes the Fondazione di Piacenza and Vigevano, the Municipality of Piacenza, the Province of Piacenza, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Chamber of Commerce of Emilia, and the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio .
Vita.it
