The issue of immigration in Europe has become a hot topic lately because the economic crisis in Europe has created so many problems not only for Europeans, but for foreign laborers and immigrants as well.
Immigrants often live in the less-desirable or hostile areas of their adopted countries (this is subjective, of course). Even though it was likely their decision to move, they can still feel alien to a new culture and way of life. Recently in Italy we witnessed a series of tragedies involving African immigrants – the Rosarno incident and the recent one involving Senegalese vendors in Florence. Clearly, racism, chauvinism, and fascism still remain the part of the world scene. But the goal of this article is not to focus on the negative; it is to direct your attention to the positive impact immigrants can bring to a community.Despite the above-mentioned tragic events, there are still immigrants who patiently and willingly add value to the economic prosperity of their new country, including Italy, and do not complain, but rather willingly volunteer in many vital and beneficial activities. I would like to focus on immigrants' role in NGOs within their respected communities.
Volunteering throughout the non-governmental organisations is quite a new phenomenon to Italy. It is a merit of the Italian NGO- Emergency that ordinary people are now aware of non-government aide activities. In a short timeframe, Gino Strada and Emergency succeeded in communicating to Italians what other countries have been experiencing for years. Emergency did a great job "marketing" NGO promotional activities within Italy by incorporating a huge number of volunteers into its structure. So, for those who are still unaware of an NGO's function, below is a brief description:
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level. Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information. Some are organised around specific issues, such as human rights, environment or health. They provide analysis and expertise, serve as early warning mechanisms and help monitor and implement international agreements. Their relationship with offices and agencies of the United Nations system differs depending on their goals, their venue and the mandate of a particular institution. (http://www.ngo.org/ngoinfo/define.html)
Though probably on a much smaller scale than other European nations, Italy is still resurrecting several NGO's ran and operated by both Italians and Italy's foreign population. Thus, many immigrants are actively searching for productive solutions to better their own lives and the lives of others. Neither their ethnic background nor identity has proven to be an obstacle; on the contrary, this has proven to be an added advantage to the communities, groups, and organisations of volunteers. In fact, Rome is home to many such organisations reflecting widespread immigrant participation. For those interested in volunteering, a few popular ones are, A SUD, COOPI, Cucimondo, KYRIOS, Nuovi Europei, among many others.
But today I would like to talk about my personal experiences while volunteering for Cucimondo with another immigrant, Himalay, or Sanju, from Nepal. Cucimondo is a great example of a small Italian NGO with widespread vision both within Italy and beyond. It was founded in 2009 by a group of friends and for the past three years has continuously sustained projects within the Republic of the Congo. Once of the projects includes the resurrection of a rehabilitation center for ex-child soldiers, orphans, and victims of war. Cucimondo's main activities consist of throwing multicultural dinner gatherings, visits to Mosques, trips to the Romanian shopping mall, tours of the Moldovan church, and readings with the club of books from five continents; and, last but not least, many trips abroad. These activities are driven by a strong desire by both Italians and foreigners to reduce poverty and suffering in the Congo.
So how does all this work? As I mentioned earlier, I spent a lot of time in Cucimondo volunteering with Sanju, a 26-year-old Nepali immigrant residing in Rome. Sanju possesses an endless devotion to his family and Nepal while remaining about as compassionate as one can hope to be. We met him a year ago at a meeting of CTS-Centre for Youth tourism where he cooked us all excellent Indian cuisine. When we requested that he volunteer his talents at a Cucimondo event, he instantly and graciously accepted. His real name is Himalay but he goes by Sanju, the main protagonist of India's version of a Disney movie, where Sanju spent his childhood.
Sanju was born to a modest family in a small town in Nepal. He moved to India when he was 15 so he could help to support his family. Imagine this skinny little boy washing enormous pots and jars in restaurants, then moving on to serving huge villas of rich Indians, and later becoming a chef's assistant and finally his own chef in Bombay. So now, he resides in the Eternal City while working very modest jobs and holding onto his enormous dreams. His brightest quality is easily his innate ability to inspire vision and encourage others to do the same. He still hopes to one day become an actor; for this I hope he will succeed.
Sanju and Cucimondo made a great team; he captivated everyone's attention from the very first day and kept it until the end. Sanju was calm, humorous, and very personable. He would always cook traditional Nepali dishes such as dhal bhat, rice with yellow lentils, chicken curry, and gajar ko halua – a delicate dessert of caramelised carrots and milk.
All of his being, this polite and highly-educated person always conveyed a very important message about his home country; there is poverty, yes, but also dignity, natural beauty, and abundant humanity. He would frequently express his opinions on the poor state of women's rights in Nepal and how there is dire need to change these humiliating circumstances. At the end, he made a terrific New Year's wish for everyone with a Tibetan gong. His enthusiasm for volunteering at our Cucimondo event spread throughout the audience as everyone was clearly astonished.
My personal advice is to get involved in one the activities of the above-mentioned NGOs to see and experience of what it does really mean to start the real integration, when you teach something new and useful to the society, that host you.
Useful links:
www.associazionecucimondo.org
www.asud.net
www.nuovieuropei.com
www.coopi.org
www.associazionekyrios.com
Saiyora Ismailova Uzbekistan
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