Today we spent time with leaders at the two most prominent international Catholic migration service organizations: Caritas, an arm of the Church, and the Jesuit Refugee Service. Both had regional offices in Rome within walking distance from our apartment.
Caritas
Caritas had a totally different atmosphere than Casa Scalabrini. We walked inside a sleek glass box that served as a waiting area, where we had to take a ticket instead of standing in line. We awkwardly stood near the doorway waiting for our contact, Cristina, to usher us in to her office. There seemed to be a lot of movement around us—people of many backgrounds walking in, sitting in the waiting area, speaking with the receptionist, and walking out. It actually felt a little bit like a DMV, which might not be surprising given that Caritas had around 25,000 front desk visits last year—a different category of aid than Casa Scalabrini. We learned the receptionist spoke at least 4 languages, but had been trained to communicate without any language at all if necessary.
Eventually, Cristina slid open a glass door next to us and led us down a series of hallways and past a dozen staff typing away at their desks. The building became slowly more and more dilapidated as we followed her, until we reached her office, in which there stood a conference table in front of her desk. Though Cristina spoke understandable English, she brought a translator who would pipe in for the more difficult translations (“criterion” for example). I set my backpack down and took out my Moleskine notebook and audio recorder.
Cristina opened a folder to reveal some English brochures and handwritten notes in preparation for our meeting. She began by explaining that Caritas Roma is a one-stop for refugees just arriving in Rome. They try to understand the needs of a “user” and direct them to applicable social services, utilizing government programs if they can. This process begins with a 30 minute intensive interview for each individual, with the ultimate goal of securing stable employment for them.
Our goal is to help people become independent
We asked what typical employment might look like for someone they work with. Christina responded, “Bellhops, hotel workers, cooks, waiters, housekeepers…” There was lots of work in the agriculture industry as well. Caritas helps migrants develop CVs and learn Italian to compete in the workforce.
- 15,000
- 30 minute interviews conducted last year
- 369
- students in Italian school
- 60%
- male applicants
- 50+
- volunteers
She continued by describing the demographics of this Rome office. Perhaps the most surprising fact was that the top countries of origin for users this year were Mali and Romania. Individuals can fall under one of two different protections that mostly depend on the stability of their home country:
Refugee Protection
Refugee status means the individual can stay in the country into which they have been accepted. The refugee designation also entails the concept of “non-refoulement” which says an individual cannot be sent back to regions where their life may be threatened.
Humanitarian Protection
Humanitarian protection affords less protection and places the burden on the individual to prove they are at risk. They often cannot claim widespread persecution toward the group they belong to and thus, could be sent back to their home country should it be considered stable in the future.
After our meeting, we met up with our friend Brendan who is studying in Rome this summer through Notre Dame’s Global Gateway program. Soren noticed his phone had immediately connected to ND’s wifi upon entering the center. We grabbed lunch near the Colosseum then walked to the Church of Saint Louis of the French to see some of Caravaggio’s paintings on display before our meeting with Centro Astalli.
Centro Astalli
We next headed to the Jesuit Refugee Service’s Rome location, Centro Astalli. The entrance was located in an alley where several people were clumped in groups talking, stagnant in the heat of the afternoon. We murmured “scusi” as we brushed past a group of migrants and into a small door in the wall. “Abbiamo un appuntamento con Chiara,” Nick told a man inside. We had arrived a couple minutes before the kitchen and showers closed for the day.
Centro Astalli is another first stage service organization—migrants come there for essentials like food, shelter, and a shower but also have access to legal and medical services. Chiara, our contact, led us downstairs through a dimly lit hallway where volunteers were serving up pasta on plastic plates to refugees. “I don’t think the building’s been renovated since we started passing out sandwiches in 1981,” she said.
We had our meeting in a chapel adorned with vibrant geometric art painted by Ethopian refugees who been there before. Like Caritas, JRS doesn’t just offer services right away, but instead wants to hear stories and listen to needs first. Perhaps the most impressive aspect was their emphasis on educating the community on the conditions and culture of migrants, addressing local unemployment laws, reforming hotspot centers, and involving over 24,000 primary school students in the issue.
We bring refugees into classrooms to discuss their experiences and challenges, making the refugee crisis more human. Let’s give students a personal experience to draw from rather than just what they hear from the media, their parents, and teachers.
Chiara told us Centro Astalli serves 21,000 people yearly in Rome and 36,000 throughout Italy, offering about 250 meals a day and 100 beds a night. She finished by telling us that Centro Astalli wouldn’t function without the generous support of over 400 volunteers, of whom one was Rachel, our friend from Notre Dame. As we were leaving the room, Chiara said she had been working here for 16 years but some people were still here since opening in 1981.
We finished the day with a walk by the Roman Forum and Pantheon.
1 comment
Comments are closed · from the original 2016 blog
Martha McRoskey
I'm learning so much. Thank you! Coolest shot of the Pantheon ever!