“Send me a resume,” said my interlocutor whom I had sought for a contact in CELIM. “Look I am seventy years old, the last resume I sent forty years ago, if I can have an interview fine, otherwise forget it,” I replied. “All right, come to headquarters,” thus ended the phone call.

At headquarters, director Davide Raffa had me talk to Paolo Chiantore, a volunteer who was then about my age. We knew each other by name, he a former director of R&D at Telettra, I a former entrepreneur, and at that time he had about thirty people developing information systems at Telettra.

It was all downhill from there. Paul, an extraordinary person, explained to me the activities at headquarters and in the field, where cooperation projects are developed. I asked about Albania, my parents’ homeland, where I wanted to operate. And so it was for many years with important projects in Albania and Kosovo, developed by CELIM with great competence and passion.

A love for this hitherto unknown world was born for me, which, like many senile loves, I experienced very intensely. Probably if I had sent my resume they would not have taken me!

Mario Prennushi
Albania and Kosovo