Activities from January to March at the CIBAI Migrações Scalabrinian Center in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Porto Alegre, March 2021 – In this first quarter of 2021, the CIBAI Migrações carried out various activities in favor of the socio-economic-community integration of migrants located in Porto Alegre and its surroundings. The intensification of the COVID-19 pandemic in this region has increased the vulnerability of migrants. Fortunately, many families were supported through legal and psychological assistance and with donations of food baskets, milk, and diapers. In addition to that, support was provided in the referral to health services, shelter, and furniture donations.

In the labor insertion project, curricula were prepared and face-to-face and virtual services were carried out to integrate the migrant into the labor market. Moreover, companies were contacted to look for job offers, and meetings were held with business representatives, public officials, NGOs, and welfare institutions. As part of the labor insertion project, on March 13th the campaign ‘‘ Sponsor a Migrant ’’ was launched with the objective of inserting the migrant into the community, so that a mutual feeling of brotherhood and solidarity is born.

Finally, in this period, CIBAI started online Portuguese classes with 280 students. Another activity was the tribute to International Women’s Day, in which a conversation was held among migrant women about their experiences in a new country. Other courses will begin in the coming months, such as entrepreneurs, professional behavior, computer science, waiter, and cleaning and information offices for migrants. CIBAI Migrações hopes to continue with its activities in the following months, always seeking the social and labor integration of the migrant in the community.