Porto Alegre, March 14, 2018 – The Portuguese Connection Project, developed by the Mission of Pompeii through the Scalarbrinian Center CIBAI Migrações, in addition to teaching the Portuguese language to migrants arriving in Rio Grande do Sul, provides them with the insertion and creation of new roots to the land that welcomes them.

The right to education is vital for human dignity and it should not be different in the migration process. However, in the absence of public government in the welcoming and the inexistence of public policies for these new migrants, volunteers linked to the church are assuming the concern for the welcoming and access to education.

When arriving at our territory, the migrant faces the first barrier, which is the barrier of the local language. The companies that host them as employees have not had much interest in providing Portuguese courses.

Therefore, for many years, the Scalabrinian Center of Porto Alegre, CIBAI Migrações has organized service centers for migrants with vocational training courses, particularly Portuguese. By attending Conexão Portugués, in addition to learning the local language, students receive guidance through legal conferences, multicultural training and are inserted into the new social context through field trips, cultural activities, dance and theater workshops. At each meeting, after learning the language, migrants participate in moments of integration; this is where all classes meet at lunchtime, which is prepared with great kindliness by the team of volunteers.

Through all these activities, provided together, the migrant ceases to be only an observer of the new reality and also perfects his participation in Brazilian society, the migrant will go on to contribute to the cultural mix already existing in that country, and that leads the path to his citizenship.

Currently, the course has 115 students, divided into seven groups, according to the levels of knowledge of the language (beginner, intermediate and advanced levels), and it has a team of 18 volunteers.