AMERICA/BRAZIL - Two hundred migrant families integrated into society in two years of life of Casa Bom Samaritano

Friday, 3 March 2023 emigration   local churches  

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - "We thank God for these two years and we are happy that all the families who stayed in the Bom Samaritano house left the house with the certainty that at least one person in the family has a job and receives material support and accompaniment in the legalization of one's status, both in terms of documents and access to social benefits," says Sister Rosita Milesi, Director of the Institute for Migration and Human Rights (IMDH), who also works in various fields and Services at the “Bom Samaritano” refugee shelter in Brasilia, on the two-year activity of the center that opened in February 2021 (see Fides, 9/6/2021; 22/10/2022).
The Center welcomes families in which parents and children participate in a special program aimed at holistic human development. All family members are looked after from a variety of perspectives: education, comprehensive child care, vocational training, care in the event of illness or in need of care, daily prayer times, psychological care and legal advice. In addition, a holistic and organized work opportunity with the methodology of co-management is offered.
The house has a total of 94 beds, but they do not always correspond to the number of people accommodated, as each family is allocated a room, regardless of the number of people in the family. This method of occupying a room with a family is intended to preserve the privacy of the families. In the past two years, the house has taken in just over 200 families,
The migrants and refugees accepted here come mainly from the states of Amazonas and Roraima. The center is not an emergency shelter open to the general population, but a specific project with appropriate programming and methodology that allows for integration into the labor market and development into self-reliant citizens.
"During these two years of service to our migrant brothers and sisters, Bom Samaritano has supported many people, including many children," emphasizes Father Patriky Samuel Batista, Deputy Secretary General of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference (CNBB), who presided over the Mass of Thanksgiving: "The presence of the CNBB as a partner becomes concrete above all through the religious assistance, both through the celebration of Holy Mass and through listening to the stories of each of them". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 3/3/2023)


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