And we continue....

Invitation to the inauguration of the soccer field in Florence. 

The 'boys' from the camps with their league compatible uniforms donated by LDS Charities.

Let the Games Begin!

Caritas is the Catholic humanitarian arm and LDS Charities is the LDS humanitarian arm.  Working together for unity!

All the uniforms have the LDS Charities symbol.

Unique experience in the eternal city.    It snowed 6 inches!

It was festive!  Everyone was out enjoying the snow.  Last snowfall was 6 years ago (I had heard 16 years ago...) This is a city snowman!

The Borghese Park under snow

Umbrella Pine trees don't normally see snow....and sadly there were lots of trees that were damaged because the snow was very wet and heavy.

Not a day to miss for sure.  We saw kids 'sledding' with plastic bags.  Two girls had on their skis.....no, they weren't going very fast!  People biking down the slick hills...It was a PARTY!

Of course the snow isn't fun for those without good shelter.  Luckily, our Better Shelter tents on the Red Cross campus held up well, kept the 'guests' warm and dry!  The President of Italy visited the site on the day it snowed and he 'praised' those who help the needy in the area.  There is a small youtube video of his visit.   The Better Shelters are completely full.  Not one bed is without an occupant.  We are always pleased when our logo is so predominantly displayed.

Gallaria Sciarra, late 19th century arcade,  not far from the Trevi fountain.  Didn't really know it was there.  Just a beautifully covered square....most cities have one like it....uh, huh.  It's just one example of walking around this city and stumbling upon yet another beautiful sight.  

Piazza Barberini.  This was just too cool.  Brr, looks like the guy is pouring ice over his back!

We were asked to give a FHE lesson about our refugee work in Italy to a visiting BYU group.  It was lots of fun for us to give it.  A captive audience and we were able to talk about our work.   That doesn't happen very often.  Most people just want a word or two then they start to glaze over.    

The BYU crew, their sponsors and us.

Stake Conference today.  The visiting '70' was from Portugal (Morella).  He spoke about obedience vs. submission.  A great topic Jake, next time we meet!   Anziano Adepoju spoke at the conference.  Good to see him again.  Interestingly, Anziano Huntsman 'replaced' Adepoju and is now companions with Elder Dunn in Ladispoli.  Photo bomb by Tom!

Summary of 2017 activities for mission and area records

We arrived in March 2017.  A Ward member introduced us to a couple of the refugee organizations working in Rome which helped to jumpstart our work.  Our first activity was in Pescara where the local Ward sponsored a hygiene kit and clothing activity with the Red Cross, St. Egidio, Civil Protection and the Mayor's office.  In April we visited Lampedusa and Sicily.  We were hosted by The Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy on this trip.  This was immensely helpful in getting a hands-on overview of the refugee situation in Sicily.  Some of our favorite refugee projects in 2017 included:  a clothing donation to Lampedusa local Catholic parish, Better Shelters for the Red Cross Rome Chapter campus, the Baobab marquee/tent at Tiburtina train station in Rome which provides a place to serve food and avoid the inclement weather.  We have worked with MEDU and INTERSOS who give medical and psychological care, as well as overnight care for minors and women.   We definitely enjoyed the collaboration between LDS Charities, the Catholic Church, and Caritas in Florence in purchasing soccer outfits so refugees could field two soccer teams in the local city league. This was the first time the Catholic and LDS Church have collaborated on a project in Florence, both sensing the need for the refugees to integrate with the locals.  The Archbishop of Florence was in attendance at the opening activity, along with the Florence Stake Presidency, a local Bishop,and the Director of Caritas Florence.

In the north we were able to partner with five organizations in the Milan area to provide job training, computers for refugee use in the municipality of Monza, medicine for 6 refugee organizations, and clothes for new mothers and babies.  We helped to open an information point in Ventimiglia, the main crossing point from Italy to N. Europe.  This info point helps the refugees obtain legal services, clothes, computer use and phone charging facilities.  When we visited it was absolutely packed with refugees and we felt it was the 'biggest bang for our buck'.  In Turin we just started a project with Chiesa Valdese where job training is offered to refugees.  In Como we helped a Catholic parish sponsored by Caritas (San Marino), which houses 70 refugees, to provide job training and basic assistance to the camp. 

Elder and Sister Herway

So this was the 'official' letter we sent to headquarters and to our mission.  But for my blog I am going to be more personal.  We have gone from the furthest point in Italy:  Lampedusa where the refugees have just landed.  We were greeted with smiles, happy to take photos with us, full of hope and relief.

I loved the idea of this 'open door' to all refugees and to everyone who lands on Italian shores.

To the furthest points north of Italy in Ventimiglia (and Como and Gorizia and Bolzano).  In Ventimiglia we were able to see the change in the refugees.  They are here because they want to leave Italy.  They try on a daily basis to get into France.  They are frustrated, desperate, uncertain. 

We have been blessed to see the full gamut of the situation in Italy.  The problems still exist and will continue for many years to come, but the shift has occurred as far as the numbers coming into Italy and now the 'crises' is integration.  Thus, our mission has also shifted.  At first we were instructed to locate reliable new partners.  Now we have been instructed that 'no new partners' will be accepted.  At first we had a 'bottomless' budget and now it has been reduced drastically.   We have been on our mission one year, and almost to the day, it has basically 'ended'....our transition has been rocky and I'm sure that our last few months will be completely different than the past year.  One approach of thought is that we completed the job we came to do and we did it in a year!

I'm glad we have experienced what we have experienced.  It was a small window of time in history and we were here for the tail-end of the mass migration and were able to experience first hand what was happening.  Now the church has diverted their emergency relief funds to more needy areas of the world and thus our job changes.  I'll be forever grateful for this unique opportunity we have had. 

Interview for Elder Adepoju

Elder Adepoju in his interview with AVSI.  This guy you have met before.  I did a post on him on March 2, 2017.  This Elder came with his brothers on a boat and he was the only one to survive.  Anyway, he is nearing the end of his mission.  There is one problem.  He doesn't have a 'home' to return to!  No Stake President to report to.  All the 'normal' stuff just doesn't apply to this young man.  So President Pickerd reached out to us to see if we had any help or suggestions.  We just started a project with a group in Milan called AVSI.  They take 15 people into an internship where they can learn anything from driving to food services, to hotel services, etc.  We asked if Elder Adepoju could apply.  Yes.  So this was his interview by skype on Jan 15th.  The interview lasted for an hour.  Tom and I go to Milan next week.  Maybe we'll find out how he fared.

Elder Dunn his companion, waiting in the next room with us while the interview was taking place.  This guy is great.  From San Diego.  He worked for Walmart and understands the concept of 'working your way up'.  He went to BYU Provo and played for the rugby team.  

The 'after-interview' assessment.  Elder Adepoju felt like he connected with the interviewers.  When asked what type of work he was willing to do?  "I don't like to get my hands dirty."  Everything else he claims he is happy to try out.  We took them to a pizza joint afterwards (not so good) and then they caught the train home.  

Update:  On January 24, we traveled to Milan and had a meeting with Marco and Anna about the internship project.  Among other questions, one question we were very curious about was how Elder Adepoju did in the interview and what his chances are for being chosen.  As of today we still don't have the final and official answer.    Adepoju's assets:  very motivated, had work experience in Italy, and he is open to trying new things.  We didn't know he has to have a sponsor to be responsible for his housing and food and transportation during the period of the internship (which lasts one year).  That will be the hardest requirement to overcome.  They have conducted 85 interviews for 15 slots.  We also met with AVSI to discuss the procedure for application (so other refugees in the church in the area can apply.) as well as the progress of the project in general.

Turns out that Elder Adepoju was able to get a job with an old employer in Naples working in the hotel business.  They had just opened a new hotel in Pompeii and were in the process of hiring, so Elder Adepoju was hired.  He received housing and a salary!  God is certainly in charge.

Adepoju with our Stake President Sonalia.  Released and off to work!

Anziano Adepoju on his release date at the Mission Home with President and Sister Pickerd.

Red Cross Better Shelters and Manpower Project Proposal

We met with the Red Cross on Feb 9th.  They had a Manpower proposal for a pilot project just for LDS Charities.  The idea is to provide opportunities for job placement for the refugees.  Normally we would have been 100% on board.  However just 2 days prior we received our 2018 budget.  It was cut by 75%! thus all of our partners will also be cut by 75%.  It's a very painful process to let our partners know about this drastic reduction.  Also reduced is how much we can support actual salaries.  So it's a cut in what we can fund and how we can fund.  This has been a painful process and we have only informed Red Cross and Intersos.  Intersos said, "Well at least there is still some money" Then we told them about the salary restrictions.  They replied "It was bad news but the salary restriction is REALLY bad news".  Ugh.

This Red Cross team basically manages the Better Shelters that are on the Red Cross Campus.  Saying they have their hands full is truly an understatement!  We are so grateful that we were able to provide the better shelters in 2017 when we were 'flush' in funds!

All the beds are occupied in this better shelter campus except for 3 beds.  There are currently 143 residents.

The canteen area

Hanging out.  I like that the LDS Charities logo is prominently displayed.

We had a chance to meet and talk with a few of the residents.  I was sitting next to Ola and both of the girls are from Nigeria.  They have been in Italy for about a year.

I don't think the guy next to me was too interested in making a silly photo.

A view of the campus.  It's not 'full' during the day, but there is a midnight curfew and then it's full.

We enjoy working with the Red Cross.  A positive, hard working, dynamic group of people.  The Red Cross had submitted a total of 5 projects for us to consider.  There is the National, Regional, and local chapters of the Red Cross.  We had to tell them that we have 20 partners to inform about our budget cut, and that Red Cross is just one partner.  The funds aren't going to go very far.


And to give you the update for the refugee situation in Italy for 2017.  From the news:

The number of new migrants to arrive in Italy reached 337,000 in 2017, a rise of 12% with respect to 2016 and the highest level of the last five years, ISTAT said on Thursday. It said the number of people to emigrate from Italy last year was 153,000, down 2.6%, for a positive net balance of 184,000.  This compared to a net rise of 144,000 in 2016 when incoming and outgoing migrants are calculated. (Ansa)

-- At least 10,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Italy between 2016 and 2017 were living in an estimated 47 "informal settlements", including occupied buildings, or stranded at the border in the northern cities of Ventimiglia, Como, Gorizia and Bolzano without access to basic necessities and medicines, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a report out on Thursday.  In the report 'Fuori campo', or offscreen, MSF said that these asylum seekers and refugees were not part of the official system, although they were residing on Italian territory.

To Trieste with Baobab

The Baobab crew from Rome drove to Trieste and we met them at the nearby frontier town of Gorizia.  They had a group of volunteers called The Forum Gorizia that they wanted us to meet.  The Forum Gorizia is similar to Baobab, just not as organized or as large, but their needs were similar:  one of the biggest needs was for shoes!  The Forum Gorizia wants to model their volunteer organization after Baobab.

 The Baobab crew this time was Andrea (on the phone) and Renardo, Marcia, Beta,  Sonia.  Baobab is run fully by volunteers as we have mentioned before.  We asked about how they came to be so organized!  It's an interesting story and they have had lots of bumps along the way.  Andrea said they started in May 2015 on Via Cupa (near Tiburtina station).  Italy needed an info point for the refugees at the train stations.  To welcome them and to give the arrivals information.  At first everybody was bringing water, then Andrea said, "Look, you bring water, and you bring milk, and they put up a sign-up sheet "  That was the start, and that is why Andrea is the director!!!

  Today they have their volunteers over certain aspects of running their camp:  Beta handles all the minors and refers them to MEDU and INTERSOS and her day job is an employee at the Telephone company.  Marcia handles all the cultural activities and sports and her day job is as an archeologist and she is currently working in the Jewish catacombs in Rome.  Valario(not in photo) does all the sporting events and helps with the legal team and he is a policeman.  Andrea is the 'director' and he is in glass works and makes stained glass creations.  Sonia coordinates the health groups (Medu and MSF) and her day job is caring for one child.  Renardo is in charge of clothes distribution and sports activities.  Miriam (not in photo) is the one who knows everybody in the camp and takes care of new arrivals.  She is a French teacher.  Raphaella helps with clothes distribution and is an architect.  Giovanna is the coordinator of the legal team and I didn't get her daytime job..probably a lawyer!  One of our favorites is Rosaria who handles the finances and she is a retired Librarian.   Of course there are many others....this is just a random example.

Baobab provides mediators to Red Cross, MSF, etc.  They want to organize courses to train mediators.  In the Cara and Sprara facilities run by the government the refugees receive 35euro/day from the government and UN and EU.  Sometimes the refugees get 2 euro/day so how is the other 33 euro spent?  Some make the most of that money, others do not.  One volunteer, Michelle has a book store by the Colosseum.  Baobab sends the refugees that want to stay in Italy to Michelle to make CV's.  There should be a 'Michelle' in every camp but there is not.

Baobab got an idea that was done on Ellis Island:  they are taking names, ages, where the refugee is from and where they are going. Up until 2016, Italy wanted the refugees to leave Italy so they didn't bother with fingerprints and record keeping.  Baobab wants a record should posterity want to know where their ancestors were.

 These people never wanted to start a camp, but felt the necessity.  Their motto now?  "We are here until the last guest leaves."  Right now nobody is at the camp during the night, but they feel that it is inevitable that it will be needed.  "Luckily there has been no violence in the camp"

Now you see why we are so impressed with these people.  They are quite the example for us.

We first checked out an area under a bridge where there had been hundred of refugees 'squatting'...but it has all been cleared out.  Literally on the other side of the tunnel is Slovenia.

There were notes attached that stated sentiments such as 'we are all equal' and 'let them live where they can'....basically messages of support for the refugees.

We held our meeting in a local community center in Gorizia.  It didn't have any heat...but the topic was expressed very warmly.  The refugees in Trieste are mostly from the Balkan route:  Afghanistan, Syria, Bangladesh.

The Baobab group again down by the river, in search of the refugee camps.  Freezing cold.

A 'home' where we talked to several of the refugees.  Turns out that in this cold winter period, most of them have moved into the Caritas camp in Gorizia.  

This particular guy was holding out his 'spot' even in the winter cold.  Afterwards Andrea asked him if he needed a warmer sleeping bag....and of course he had one in his car ready to give to him!

Luciano Capaldo from Gorizia (on the right of Tom) is the bridge between the refugee camps and the government.  He is a social worker and educator for the community.  He knows the leaders of the camps and the leaders of the government and handles the communication between the two.

A tour of the shower, and he also showed me the inside of the 'house'....Really, it's awful.  But they do have a choice to go to the Caritas Camp.  They prefer this situation over the camp b/c of over-crowding in the camp.

We were in Trieste for Sunday.  I looked on the internet for church times and was a bit surprised to find that Sacrament meeting was last....at 11:40am.  So we weren't rushing to be there at 9:30 since it was just RS/Priesthood and we got there a bit late.  Turns out we missed Sacrament meeting.  They had changed in Jan and hadn't switched it on the website yet.  Ooops.  When the shorter man found out what had happened, he enlisted this return missionary and they prepared Sacrament just for us!  We were so humbled and grateful!

Don't know their names, but they were angels to us!  So we were able to stay for RS/Priesthood after all, and it turned out to be a good thing.  I was able to have a nice chat with the Stake RS President and she was excited to learn about us.  She wants to talk to all her RS Presidents and see if any members are already working with refugee organizations and see how the local branches/wards can get involved....and if LDS Charities can help them out.  I expect there will be some great projects from this enthusiastic Stake RS President.  She wondered why she hadn't heard about us before.  I told her we had given a presentation to all the Stake Presidents.  Her response?  "You should have given it to all the Stake RS Presidents and then something would have happened!"  She cracked me up.

Gilles calls for a whirlwind tour of Rome Projects

First stop was to visit the location for the new 'Friendship Center' which is still on the drawing board.  The Episcopal Church runs a daytime center where the refugees are welcome from 8:30am to 2:30 where they offer guitar, sewing, language classes, movies, a 'job board' and other services.  LDS Charities has the idea of extending these services for the refugees, and managed by a missionary couple from 2:30 to 5:30pm every week-day.  

Annika is showing us the 'job board'....There is a growing phenomenon where the refugees contact potential employees through an agency.  Once they sign on the dotted line, they are basically enslaved, sometimes not paid for their work.  If they try to quit they are threatened and told they will never find work in Italy again... She only puts up employment opportunities where they contact the employer directly and with whom she knows are trustworthy.

The next stop was with Casa Scalabrini.  This meeting was for Gilles to meet the director.  Gioccino is a professor of theology and runs this camp in his 'spare' time.  We have already done one project with this partner and there are two more on the drawing board.

The camp is housed in an old villa.  It's in great need of renovation and improvement.  Casa Scalabrini takes people who are semi-autonomous and teaches them how to become fully autonomous.   The residents buy their own food and cook and clean for themselves.  The camp requires them to pay rent:  50euros/month.  The idea is to teach them that bills come regularly and must be paid!

This artist lives at the Villa.  He is a talented sculptor.  His clay sculptures are amazing.  He is from Nigeria, came over on a boat from Libya and landed at Lampedusa.  I'm sure there is much to his story, but with his talent he is able to capture the feelings and emotions that he experienced.

In the front courtyard of the old Villa.

We then took public transportation to our next meeting which was with INTERSOS.  Here we are at the Intersos Center with the Director of Migration, Cesare Fermi as well as Luka (who drove the van as well as cooks and does many other jobs!)

With INTERSOS we went in their van to pick up the vulnerable residents at Baobab and there was the trusty MEDU van, doing their great work.  Here is Gilles and Tom with the Medu cultural mediator.

We continue to support MEDU for the 2018 year, in their medical van, their psych center in Rome, and their operations in Sicily.

Inside the Baobab camp we had a nice discussion with Roberto and Rosaria about their camp.  We met of course inside the tent that LDS Charities donated!

I love how the humanitarian services network.  When vulnerable people show up at the Baobab camp, they call INTERSOS who drives the van to pick them up and take them to the center where they get a shower and a bed as well as dinner and breakfast.  This particular evening we picked up 3 women aged 19 to 22 and one baby.  These women came from Eritrea via Libya, the boat to Sicily and were in transit through Rome.

After our pick-up at the Baobab camp, we arrived back at the Intersos camp.  These boys were a bit reluctant to take a photo, but the Intersos team convinced them it was okay.

Two of the girls from Eritrea and their baby girl.  I can't even begin to imagine what they have just been through and what is ahead for them.

A nice rice dinner was provided and we were invited to join them.  The food is donated, but the Intersos team has to do the cooking!  Intersos provides a safe place for vulnerable people to have a meal, a shower, a bed.  They never know how many will show up each night.  Just depends.  One night there were 18 young men!   Everyone that stays here is just passing through on their way north, so in most cases they are here for only a couple of days at the most.  Even while at the Baobab camp, we thought more were coming with us but they informed us they were going on the bus to Ventimiglia that very night.