Desde novembro de 2021 que acolhemos e acompanhamos os afegãos que resgatamos com o apoio da Fundação Romulus T. Weatherman. Nestes meses de acolhimento e integração a presença e ação dos voluntários foi essencial para conseguirmos, juntos, servir estas pessoas. Neste sentido, partilhamos o testemunho de uma voluntários que nos acompanhou durante dois meses nos centros de acolhimento do povo afegão.

“During the past two months, I collaborated with JRS Portugal – Serviço Jesuíta aos Refugiados in one of their camps for Afghan refugees in Portugal. There, I came across with people who fled from Afghanistan due to the fear of persecution by the Taliban.

My work was probably not what you would expect when thinking about volunteering with #refugees. Essentially, we tried to give them the tools to become autonomous in Portugal, by doing things such as helping them to open their bank accounts, accompanying them to medical appointments, crafting their CVs, and teaching them Portuguese. We also tried to guarantee the group’s well-being and answered all kinds of questions about structural differences between our countries and lifestyles.

Being a volunteer at a refugee camp was a very enriching experience that helped me become more culturally sensitive, develop the ability to work through language barriers, and solve daily situations on the spot. On top of that, it showed me that all humans share similar hopes and concerns, regardless of their cultural, ethnical, and religious backgrounds.

JRS Portugal – Serviço Jesuíta aos Refugiados does a wonderful job and it was a pleasure to contribute to it and be involved in the new and promising chapter of these refugees’ lives in Portugal. It was touching to testify their gratitude for having been resettled in such a safe and beautiful country, and I truly hope they are now well-welcomed into their new communities.”

– Sara Rentroia Pacheco

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