You may stop at Ottaviano to see St.Peters or Flaminio to see Piazza del Popolo. Maybe you go to Barberini to see the Trevi Fountain or San Giovanni to get a glimpse at St. John Lateran. And you may go to Reppublica, but you may not walk near the refugee center located just five minutes away from the metro exit.
Joel Nafuma Refugee center located in the crypt of St.Pauls, “serves the needs and aspirations of refugees and asylum seekers.” I had the opportunity to get to learn more about this center from staff member Sharon Nagliero. Sharon has been working at the center since 2017 as a volunteer and now works Monday through Friday from 8:30am-1pm, as that is when the center opens and closes. I was taken back by the greenery outside before you walked down the stairs to enter the center. As Shanon took us downstairs, I first noticed the sense of community between the refugees and asylum seekers. There was an intense game of foosball/football happening to the right of us while a group of seven were playing “UNO” to the left of us. As I admired the friendly competition from the two games, Sharon explained to us the offerings of the center.
Breakfast is served from 8:30-10 everyday and is open to the public. To access most of the services though, refugees and asylum seekers need to go through a registration process. Going through this process allows access to the supply closet, Italian classes, English classes, sewing classes, swimming lessons, CV development and review, and more. All of these classes, except for swimming, happen on a weekly basis at the same day and same time to implement structure and routine. Sharon explained that men seek out this center more often than women, which is why they push for more mens donations. These donations go directly to the supply closet where two interns work to keep it organized and running. The interns allow two people in at a time to shop and pick out however many items they are allowed to take with them that day.
Although fascinated by all of the inner workings and happening at Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, I was most drawn to the supply closets and I thought we as students may be able to make a difference within the supply range. As study abroad students, when we return home to wherever that may be, it is more than likely we will want to leave some clothes behind. With this in mind, us Envoys talked to Sharon about creating a donation box and placing it at Temple University during the last week of classes until the end of finals for students to come and give what they don’t want/need, while simultaneously supporting a localized community in Rome.
When you live in a place for an extended period of time, you really start to become accustomed to who makes up the community. You begin to absorb information you don’t normally take in when on a typical vacation, but that is a beautiful thing as it opens up new doors to integrate yourself into the community in which you reside. So when you’re on Metro A, take a look around at of course the beautiful stamps in history, but also pay attention to the centers like Joel Nafuma Refugee center and what you can do to support communities like this. Studying abroad in Rome through Temple means you are here for four months – Travel, explore, seek information, and give back where you can. It is so important to be aware of the moving world around you and be knowledgeable about your capabilities to give back to places in which you have the means to do so.
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Learn more about the Culture & Identity Envoy program at Temple Rome.