NOVE’S Members

Alberto Cairo | President
“My goal is to ensure that every patient can be reintegrated into society and live in dignity”.
Alberto Cairo arrived in Afghanistan in 1990. A pioneer in physical rehabilitation and the social reintegration of persons with disabilities, he served as Director of the Orthopaedic Programme for People with Disabilities of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan until 2022.
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, he received the Henry Dunant Medal in 2013 and the Nansen Refugee Award in 2019.
Today Alberto is President of NOVE Caring Humans and continues his commitment to persons with disabilities. He lives in Kabul and is one of the few foreigners to have received Afghan citizenship.

Susanna Fioretti
Founder and Vice President
Expert in gender policies and education, training, and employment inclusion programmes for disadvantaged people. She has worked on emergency and development projects with the Italian Red Cross (CRI), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), in Mauritania, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan, Sudan, Mozambique, India, Iran, Italy, and Afghanistan, where she has been active since 2002. She has also worked on environmental protection projects in Greece.

Arianna Briganti
Founder and Vice President
Development socio-economist and specialist in Gender Equality and Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Throughout her professional career across Africa, Asia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, she has held leadership positions in bilateral and multilateral organizations. She has worked with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German International Cooperation Agency (Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In recognition of her commitment to human rights, she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Andrea Pascarelli
Board Member
Holder of a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, with experience in the sustainable use of water and energy resources for development. He has worked for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the Italian Red Cross (CRI), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Mozambique, Eritrea, Sudan, the Philippines, and Syria. He currently heads the ICRC Sub-Delegation in Yemen.

Elena Noacco
Member
Programme Manager specialized in gender empowerment, small and medium enterprise development, and start-ups. Expert in the management of emergency projects in conflict areas and natural disasters, she has worked as financial and administrative manager for projects funded by the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the United Nations, in the West Bank, Afghanistan, and Uganda.

Joachin Gaube
Member
Environmental expert specialized in energy transition, alternative energies, and rural electrification. He has advised governments in Asian, African, and Eastern European countries on the development of legal frameworks for green solutions. Over the last 30 years, he has worked with the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Development Bank (KfW), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Letizia Dell'Asin
Member
Humanitarian worker specialized in emergency coordination and resource mobilization with experience in planning, management, and reporting of emergency and early recovery projects. She has worked with local and international NGOs, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UNICEF, in Uganda, Sudan, Cambodia, Rwanda, and Tanzania. She is currently in Ukraine with UNICEF.

Alessandra Frontoni
Member
Psychologist and development socio-economist, specialist in social cohesion. During her professional career with the European Union, in its Delegations across Asia, North Africa, and Latin America, she held positions promoting public policies in employment, health, vocational training, primary and secondary education, and community development. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and specialization qualifications in social policies from the United Nations and the European Union. She currently lives and works in Mexico.

Paola Valitutti
Secretary Member
Archaeologist, researcher, and expert in the conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage. For more than twenty years, she has worked on local development projects, women’s empowerment, and cultural events with social impact. She mainly operates in Salerno.

Antonella Feola
Member
Civil engineer, after around 15 years working as a freelance professional in the field of natural risk reduction, since 2007 she has worked periodically in the humanitarian sector, taking part in short missions for the Italian Red Cross. Since 2013, she has worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross. She has worked in Eritrea, Haiti, South Sudan, North Korea, Yemen, and Syria. She is currently engineering coordinator for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria.

Davide Nicolini
Member
Humanitarian affairs specialist with experience working with the ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, international NGOs, and donor-funded programmes. He has worked both in field operations and headquarters roles on emergency water supply, rehabilitation of urban infrastructure, and climate-related water risk management, while also supporting public authorities, service providers, and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He has coordinated multinational initiatives and contributed to national and global strategies linking water security, climate resilience, and peacebuilding, including involvement in the transition from the Geneva Technical Hub 1.0 to 2.0 and in multi-partner frameworks.