ROME - As Europe’s migrant crisis continues, service organizations in the city are coming together to organize a public information evening this month to  raise awareness of refugee issues, and outline practical ways the public can assist.

“Welcome the Stranger: Supporting Rome’s Refugees”  will be held on Wednesday 18 November from 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC). It will feature presentations (in English) from the JNRC, Medici per i Diritti Umani (MEDU), and Centro Astalli and  from a migration expert working with organizations including the Regione Lazio - Migration Policies and Social Integration. These will be followed by a panel question and answer session.

UNHCR statistic to the end of October show 744,175 people arrived in Europe by sea alone in the past 12 months, with some 140,200 landing in Italy.  Many are fleeing war, violence and persecution and arrive traumatised and shocked, not just by what they have left behind but by the perilous journey they have had to make (3,440 have died or gone missing this year). Their suffering is often compounded by misinformation and hostility in their host communities and sub standard living conditions.

“Anybody watching the news in the last few months could not fail to be moved by the plight of the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing their homes for a better life in Europe,” explains JNRC Director the Rev. Austin Rios. “People in Rome are asking, ‘how can I help?’ At the same time, there seems to be a gap in terms of information and awareness about the situation facing refugees in Rome and about those organizations which provide services for them.  In hosting this information evening we want to bring together the major organizations working with refugees to share their experiences, raise awareness of refugee issues, and outline practical ways the public can assist.”

Event details:

“Welcome the Stranger: Supporting Rome’s Refugees” 

Wednesday 18 November

6.30 pm – 8.30 pm

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Centre Via Napoli, 58. (Off Via Nazionale. Metro stop Repubblica)