Random update

Perfect, right?  This street is in Trastavere section of Rome.  

We met up again with Muhammed and Abraham.  This time Muhammed's wife ZiZi came along (she is 18).  She is having a boy in a few weeks and she is naming him Thomas (from what we understand, the baby is named after Tom!)  Also in the photo is Claudia.  She served a mission in Canada and she is very often my translator.  We get to home teach Claudia.  She is awesome and very talented and made our friends feel very welcome when we brought them to the Institute building downtown for Taco Tuesday.

At the bookstore they had a pamphlet called "Welcome to Italy" for Refugees.  Written in 3 languages and very helpful on many topics such as medical, legal, where to sleep if you are on the street, where to go for food, all arranged by cities in Italy.  It's an incredible book of information and we wanted our friends to have it especially because Muhammed and ZiZi are going to try to go to France before the baby is born.  If born in Italy, the baby will still be considered from Sierra Leone where the parents are from.  I'm not sure what will be the status of the baby if born in France, but they are going to try to get across.  I am so worried about them.  We tried to warn them of the dangers and the unlikely chance of getting across.  

Our District was over for Saturday lunch.  

The next 4 photos are of Abraham Asuleme and he is 30 years old.  We had an interview with him and he had prepared himself to tell us his story.  He is from Nigeria.  Born of a polygamous family, he was the 2nd child of the 2nd wife.  Mom died and his life became very difficult.  At 17 he was on his own as his sister got married.  He had 2 step brothers that one fateful evening came to the house and wanted him to leave b/c they wanted to take ownership of the house (even though it was rightfully his at the death of his mother).  There were arguments and several weeks later they came to kill him.  Cut his finger off, stabbed him several times (he showed us one stab wound on his back, last photo).  He managed to run away.  A passerby saw him and took him to his house and treated him.

After that incident (again showing some of the signs of the damage that his step brothers inflicted on him, can't bend his finger) he decided to flee.  He didn't want to be a burden on his married sister, so he borrowed money from her and left for Niger.  From there he was kidnapped.  The man put him in prison and told him to call his family at home and to tell them to send money to get him out of prison.  He wouldn't do it and was in the prison for 3 months treated very badly.  He and a friend that were both in the prison made a hole in the wall each day while the man was out and eventually broke through the wall and escaped.  They ran and ran.

They went to a mosque where they were praying.  A man approached them with a gun.  They listened.  They thought they were being offered a legitimate job.  They were given guns to be guards.  Turns out they were to guard a fenced camp full of boys.  He told the man, "I can't do this" and left.  He turned to begging in the streets to survive.  "I had no other option"  He was in Libya now and he was told he should try to get to Italia.  He saw the sea and he was afraid.  His 'boat' was just a piece of wood.  He was on the boat for 2 days and never ate but he had no appetite because of his fear and then they were rescued by a big ship.  They were on this ship another 5 days before the Italian rescue boat came.  He landed on Lampedusa.  He was there one night, and then brought to Rome.  He currently lives in a camp about 45 min by train from Rome. (Roma Point Camp run by the Red Cross)

(Photo of his stab wound on his back.)  The missionaries found him on the train.  He resisted their offers to talk but they were insistent.  Eventually he came to church.  Afterwards he told his friend "I went to a church that is full of white people."  and his friend replied "They are going to suck your blood."  He responded, "I felt something.  It's different.  I want to give these guys (missionaries) a try."  He said he was feeling the spirit.  He stopped smoking.  He realized his body was a temple.  He is a big football player and when he quit smoking he could run and play.  He felt the change in his physical body.  He knew he could have the same change in his spiritual body.  He joined the church on Sept 19, 2015.  He currently works construction at the temple site.  His sister wants him to come back to Nigeria.  He wants to start his life here in Italy.  If he had a little brother his advise would be "Don't come.  The risk I took?  No, don't do it"

Baobab is an organization we partner with.  They are the grassroots group that we are so impressed with.  We visited one evening for the football game.  LDS Charities has rented the field so they have something to look forward to each week.  Here are some of the guys.

Washing up after the game.  Rome is having a heat wave and the game, although fun took all their energy!

Momo on the left.  Don't know the other two guys.  Field is behind them.  A pretty dusty game!

Back at the Baobab camp.  Here is Francesca taking photos of each refugee so they are prepared when they go to get their promesso at the Questura.  (The identity card from the police station)

LDS Charities has purchased 1200 rubber shoes.  (crocs)

The food line.  They were patiently waiting.  It was nearing 9:00pm and no food in sight yet.  

On the fence they had put up this sign that the refugees had drawn.  "Good Baobab People" and it shows them all holding out a plate to get some food and the angel Baobab people piling food on the table for them to come and help themselves to the food.

On Saturday, Baobab took 80 refugees by train to Ostia and the beach.  The boys were sooooo happy!

This poor little tree.  It was the only greenery we had by our apartment.  It was just off of our balcony but it got diseased and has been cut back to the stub.  Very sad.  We are especially sad, b/c now we have no greenery to look at when we go outside of our house.  Still, every day I am grateful for the A/C.  I hope it never breaks!

Humanitarain Projects

Humanitarian Projects take work:  Here are the projects we have initiated so far, and since Europe shuts down for the summer, there should only be maintenance on these existing projects.  We have enjoyed very much getting to know these organizations, how they help the refugees, the people that make the organizations flow, and all the good they are accomplishing.  Many have websites that are chock full of information and very interesting reading.  MEDU and INTERSOS we feel very connected to.  We know the directors well and communicate regularly with them.  Baobab is the group we took a 5 day trip with to the frontier cities and met their connections, all good hearted souls, each and every one of them.  It's been a privilege to be involved with each of these organizations.

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MEDU Psyche Center, Rome   
Florence MEDU Mobile Clinic-Florence Italy
Medu Hygiene Kits- Rome Italy

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•  ROME:  A psycho-social coordinator will expand activities so important in the rehabilitation process: music, mindfulness, psycho-education, buddy system.  An additional team of one medical doctor, a psychologist and a psycho-social coordinator to strengthen the staff already in place at the psyche clinic in Rome.

FLORENCE:  Add additional staff - a Territorial Coordinator and a Clinic Mobile Coordinator. Six camps monitored by the mobile clinic.

Hire one cultural mediator (translator) who can help the patients and the doctors communicate. Estimated 500 refugees assisted and informed in a one year period.

Hire a psychologist to work in the MEDU medical mobile clinic, who will give special attention to the female population. (an estimate of 70 females in a one year period). A total of 450 patients will be assisted and 600 visits can be made in a one year period.

The added staff will train camp operators and volunteers (in 4 training sessions) to recognize and treat mental problems.

ROME Hygiene kits:  purchase 100 hygiene kits for women to include: hygiene pads, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, mini towel, hygiene wipes, comb, paper tissues, underwear.  purchase 500 hygiene kits for men to include: soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, mini towel, hygiene wipes, comb, paper tissues, underwear.

Milan East Refugee Medicine Donations II

To provide medicine to eight refugee centers located in the Milan East, especially for women and children.

Opera San Francesco Hospital (one of the 8 recipients )

ARCA, private group housing women and minors (another of the recipients)

Formal ceremony of Banco Farmaceutico with Church leaders and BF leaders

• Baobab Initial Project- Rome West Italy

Purchase monthly metro tickets @35 euros per month for the refugees attending school as well as processing their documents.
Rent two soccer fields for 2 months. The fields will be rented at the same time each week for the refugees to count on and look forward to. Soccer is the universal language
Purchase a total of 30 sleeping bags and 20 tents.

• Casa Scalabrinie 634 - Rome Italy

Buy 100 liters of gasoline. Purchased as needed by CasaScalabrini.  Purchase pots and pans, cleaning supplies: detergents, paper rolls, brooms, mops, etc. Purchase chicken, rice, vegetables and cakes in bulk supply.  

Purchase Kitchen cabinets. Purchased and installed by CasaScalabrini

• Red Cross Mobile Homes Project- Rome West Italy

 30 mobile containers/homes to replace temporary tents, installed with a heat pump air inverter.

Plus an additional 8 units for sanitary services, one unit for the infirmary, one unit for the staff, and one unit for the canteen services.

INTERSOS Centre Rome T28- Rome Italy

Operational costs for three intercultural mediators, two professional educators, and one psychologist working at the T28 center.in Rome.  Also one van for the camp.
The staff will physically bring in the children from the urban territory of Rome
In addition the staff we will fund, in coordination with other stakeholders involved, will begin a program to implement individual Family Reunification for USAC with family already located in Europe in an expedited manner. The staff funded under this project will be in charge of this program.

• Info point- Ventimiglia- Ventimiglia Italy

Provide office space where legal counsel and medical/psychological counsel can be administered by key groups offering these services rather than on the street which is presently the case. The office space will also be used by other organizations in the area: Melting Pot and WeWorld, Medici senza Frontieri,  as they collaborate their efforts with Progetto 20K
The office space is a room plus a garage. The garage will be used to store donated goods from the community such as clothes and hygiene kits. The office will also serve as a place for internet access and phone charging for the refugees.

• Terre des hommes - Ventimigilia- Ventimiglia, Italy

Pay for 70% of the legal operator fees for a 4 month duration.
Provide a private place for Terre des homme legal staff to counsel with the refugees residing in the San Antonio camp in Ventimiglia.

The following two projects we initiated and got approved, but when the Scovilles, the other Senior Missionary couple serving in Italy, arrived in Sicily we turned these projects over to them:

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Pozollo Medical and Psychological Support- Pozollo, Sicily, Italy

MEDU will recruit a team of one medical doctor, one psychologist, and two cultural mediators.  This team will be at the dock/port as the refugees embark from the boats.  They will work at the dock in tents as well as in the Hotspot center (the two areas of intervention) The money will provide for the team, for the office and equipment of the team, and the logistical costs of the team.  It will also provide basic medicines for the refugees

Lampedusa Hotspot- Clothing for newly arrived refugees- Lampedusa, Italy

To provide clothing for men arriving from the sea in Lampedusa.  To provide personal grooming items for the men as they arrive from the sea in Lampedusa.

Projects that were started by others and updated/visited by us:
Firenze Stake and CARITAS Carpentry Lab for Refugees:  provide carpentry tools and supplies for volunteer carpenter to teach skills to refugees.

There are organizations we have a relationship with and projects are still on the drawing board:


Church projects that have been completed in March and April 2017:
Pescara hygiene kits:  Italian Red Cross (diapers, hygiene kits and rain ponchos) and Civil Protection (blankets, clothes, and first aid kits).  This is the activity where the kits were assembled.

Florence hygiene kits:  300 kits and 300 mattress covers, all to combat scabies disease that is rampant in some of the camps.

Pending projects:

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• Milan East Stake Helping Hands Hygiene kits- Milan East Italy
• CARITAS Florence- Music and Sport Workshops- Florence Italy