[1][2] Giovanni Ermiglia obtained his high-school diploma from the Liceo Classico Cassini[3] in Sanremo, in the Ligurian region of Italy.
After his expedition in India, Ermiglia had the idea to collect money in Italy to help some of the peasant families manage their land effectively and efficiently.
[7] In these first years of activity, Ermiglia was also supported by Movimento Sviluppo e Pace and SERMIG, two NGOs in North West Italy respectively, and led by Giorgio Ceragioli and Ernesto Olivero.
In 1995, the Italian groups of Bhoodan supporters were unified in ASSEFA Italia, a national NGO which was officially recognised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2002.
The work of ASSEFA, which at first was limited to farming Tamil Nadu and South-India, slowly spread through the country and expanded, encompassing other activities such as education, microgranting[11] and improving the situation of women.