Staff
Andrea Dell’Angelo
Director
I am Andrea Dell’Angelo, agronomist specialised in agrometeorology and cooperation in developing countries. In 1976, while still a student, I encountered Prof. Namkhai Norbu and this acquaintance would mark me deeply. In 1978 I went with Namkhai Norbu to India, to shoot two documentaries about Tibetan Medicine and sacred dances, which would be later on purchased by RAI (the Italian national television). During this trip I had the opportunity to visit the main Tibetan refugee camps in India and Nepal and to get in touch with Tibetan culture. In 1986, Namkhai Norbu entrusted me with the construction of center for Tibetan refugees in India.
In 1988, together with Namkhai Norbu and nine other people I founded ASIA. I worked from 1983 to 1998 with Italian and Israeli companies to increase rainfall in southern Italy and I participated in the negotiations for the drafting of the world convention on desertification. Later I worked as a consultant for IFAD in Indonesia and for the overseas Agronomic Institute in Palestine. For 34 years I have been the General Secretary of ASIA, carrying out more than 50 missions in Tibet, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Buthan.
I strongly believe in the mission and vision of ASIA and in the values promoted by Tibetan spirituality as a tool to create a better and sustainable world, respectful of diversity and of the environment.
Roberto Brega
Administration Manager
I am Roberto Brega and I am the manager of ASIA’s administrative office. I have been working with organisation since 2004, while my experience as an accountant dates back to 1984. In 1999, I thought that my work could have been much more useful, so I chose to apply my expertise to the world of cooperation. Never a choice was more appropriate! Certainly, my sector is not the most exciting, but I consider it a part of a beautiful mechanism that contributes to a fairer world every day. To achieve this goal, everyone needs to bring in their own experience, because “We are only saved and capable to move forward when we act together and not alone”.
Lorenzo Caputo
Project Finance Officer
My name is Lorenzo and I have been collaborating with ASIA since 2024 in the project reporting and financial management office. I am responsible for collecting documentation and project results to present to our donors. I am an economist with a Master’s degree in Food Security and Human Development. I began my experience in international cooperation in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, managing and writing rural development projects for small Italian NGOs. On returning to Italy, I worked as a researcher on precariousness and food insecurity in Italy and Europe. After a brief experience with the United Nations, I realised how small organisations like ASIA can have a far more significant impact on local communities than large international organisations. By acting on a small scale, one can truly improve the conditions of many people, often left behind by the great upheavals of an ever-changing world.
Linda Fidanzia
Fundraising Manager
I am Linda Fidanzia and I hold a degree in Political Sciences. After some years of working in the for-profit sector, I started my collaboration with ASIA in 2003. For the first few years I worked in for the Long Distance Sponsorship program and there I had the opportunity to go to the field and to “meet” Tibet, its people, its culture and boundless spaces. Since 2009 I have been involved in fundraising, carrying out campaigns and initiatives to support ASIA’s institutional projects and activities. My motivation? To ensure that populations that are fragile under a socio-economic point of view, yet culturally and spiritually rich, can live with dignity and contribute to the evolution of our humanity.
Elisa Cappai
Communication Manager
I am Elisa Cappai and I have been collaborating with ASIA since 2023. I have a degree in Cultural Anthropology and a specialization in Communication and Digital Marketing. For several years I worked in the communication sector, particularly in publishing and culture, developing with a touch of creativity projects capable of bringing out the human side and values of the realities I collaborated with. I chose ASIA because I deeply believe in the strength of its mission: its passionate and rigorous approach won me over from the start. I am convinced that the Himalayan countries guard a unique and precious heritage for humanity, and my goal is to know it, tell it and contribute to keeping it alive.
Matteo Maglietti
Long-Distance Sponsorship Officer
I was born in Tuscany in 1989. After graduating in Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Florence, I began working as a project manager in the field of communications, with a particular focus on the intercultural and social dimension of projects. I coordinated communication projects in international contexts, collaborating with NGOs, institutional bodies, multinationals, and local organisations in countries such as Haiti, Chile, Madagascar, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, China, the United States, Canada, and several European nations.
Over the years I have developed skills in the management and operational coordination of international projects, with particular attention to administrative, financial, and organisational aspects. I have overseen complex activities involving the management of databases, financial reporting, and ongoing relations with local partners, clients, and institutions. At ASIA I am primarily responsible for the Long-Distance Sponsorship and Scholarship programme, overseeing both the relational aspect with donors and the planning and supervision of field activities and relations with educational institutions.
Alessandra Nardi
Project Manager Myanmar and Mongolia
I am Alessandra Nardi, responsible of the projects of cooperation and development in Myanmar and Mongolia. I work for ASIA since 2017 and I take care of writing projects, of the relations with the donors for the approved projects, of coordinating activities, as well as local and international staff and I also carry out monitoring missions in the countries where the projects are implemented. I hold a degree in International relations and a master’s in Water Management in Developing Countries which allowed me, before joining ASIA, to work abroad on emergency projects in the field of water supply and management. I have always considered the possibility to work in the field of cooperation and development a privilege, especially in the current world’s challenges, and I believe it is a continuous professional and personal stimulus.
Alessandro Zito
Head of South-East Asia and Mongolia
I am Alessandro and I have been collaborating with ASIA since 2023. I have a degree in Territorial Planning, a master’s degree in Social Policies and International Cooperation and several specializations in Environment and Climate Change, Nature-Based Solutions, Anthropogenic-Natural Emergency Preparedness and Response, Protection, Human Rights and European Designing. Humanitarian aid, environment, health, migration and hospitality are my main professional topics, on which I have been working for about 20 years with various public and private sector organizations in Europe, the Balkans, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, both in intervention management and training activities. For several years I had the fortune to live and work in different socio-political-cultural contexts, an experience that gave me the opportunity to broaden my vision, acquire a global perspective and contribute to the development of resilient and inclusive communities.
Sonam Tsering (Kunga)
Photographic Archive Manager and Secretary
I am Kunga, an artist and specialist in Tibetan culture. I have been working with ASIA since 2016 and I deal with the promotion of Tibetan culture by contributing to the organization of events (exhibitions, conferences, show cooking), and to the production of videos. I am also Head of the Association’s photographic archive. For me it is a blessing to work with ASIA and for the vision of its founder Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, because I can contribute to preserve my culture and that of my ancestors… A very important gesture in this historical moment.