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 massacre and the recent one
involving Senegalese community 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, Insensinverso 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 HIMALAY, a 26-year-old Nepali immigrant
residing in Rome.
He possesses an endless devotion to his family and Nepal while remaining about as compassionate
as one can hope to be. We met a year ago at a meeting of CTS-Centre for
Youth tourism where he cooked 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 in Bombay and finally his own chef in Goa,
India, in an Italian Restaurant. 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.
Saiyora Ismailova,
Vice-president Cucimondo Onlus, Rome
