JRS Portugal
1. General activities of the organization:
JRS’s mission is to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people, in all parts of the world.Today the organisation is present in over 50 countries.
In Portugal JRS provides assistance to immigrants and refugees in a number of different ways:
Pedro Arrupe Center
After years of negotiations, the Pedro Arrupe Center opened in May 2006. The center can host up to 18 men and 7 women in a total of 25 immigrants in humanitarian need. By now around 60 people have been given support by this center, concerning housing, food, job finding, medical aid, occupational activities and Portuguese language courses
Social Work
The social aid office assisted around 200 immigrants in 2006. The problems addressed include alcohol abuse, homelessness and health problems. The social workers have also occasionally provided support in other areas, such as voluntary repatriations and visits to imprisoned and hospitalized immigrants. A partnership was established between JRS and the Refectory of Irmãs de S. Vicente de Paulo, that provides food (lunch and snack) for around 110 immigrants on a daily basis.
Legal Assistance
Legal advice is available through one volunteer lawyer who made around 140 consultations in 2006 or through the Local Centre for Immigrant Support (C.L.A.I.) which JRS-Portugal set up through a partnership with a government agency. This centre gave advice to around 800 people since March 2003.
Medical Aid
During 2006, 84 patients attend the medical aid office. This office does not intend to substitute the Portuguese Health System, but provides support to immigrants whose access to the health system is more difficult, namely those who are destitute and the immigrants who come through the international health agreements between Portugal and Portuguese Speaking countries (PALOP’s).
Employment Support
Around 1500 interviews were made to immigrants searching for a work place during the year 2006. The volunteers and the trainees working in this office serve as intermediaries between employers and immigrants in search of a work.
Integration projects
JRS-Portugal also runs several programmes aimed at the smooth integration of immigrants and refugees into Portuguese life.
Over 45 migrant nurses successfully participated in the recognition of qualifications for nurses project. These migrants, who saw their qualifications recognized in 2005, were in 2006 placed in Hospitals or Health community centers. There was also work done with the families of these professionals, namely labour integration of husbands/wives and the social and educational integration of the children.
By December 2006, around 140 students had participated at the Portuguese and citizenship courses provided by JRS.
Assistance in UHSA
UHSA (Unidade Habitacional de Santo António) is a detention center, managed by Border and Alien Service, for irregular migrants having received a removal order from the Portuguese territory. In a Memorandum of understanding signed on February 13th 2006, between the Ministry of Interior, International Organization for Migration and the Jesuit Refugee Service, a commission of monitoring and evaluation was constituted.
In this agreement JRS-Portugal:
- Provides the social follow up of immigrant citizens during their stay in the UHSA Porto and identify eventual vulnerable cases;
- Is responsible for the social team which is composed of a Social worker who accompanies vulnerable situations, providing psycho-social support during period of stay of in the UHSA Porto, a Priest who gives psycological and religious advice; and a group of visitors (including cultural mediators who will provide support to the immigrants) who will visit regularly UHSA Porto whenever specifically requested to do so.
Awareness Raising
During this school year (2006/2007), the project "Welcome to our Country" has been implemented in around 20 schools. The project`s main objectives are: to encourage positive attitudes and community building in order to support a better integration and to raise awareness of migrant issues and encourage reflection about them within the school community.
JRS-Portugal has also participated in several debates and conferences and occasionally in events promoted by the printed media, radio and television. A quarterly newsletter was distributed to about 1800 people during last year.
2. ERSO member is funded by:
The funding of JRS comes from partnerships with several organizations, from the European Union (EQUAL programme), from personal donations and also from the Society of Jesus.
3. Target group of the ERSO member (in the context of return and reintegration):
The target group of JRS Portugal in the context of the Portuguese Voluntary Return Program: are irregular and undocumented immigrants from non EU countries.
4. Does the ERSO member offer pre-departure counseling?
As a "Technical" Adviser in the Portuguese Voluntary Return Program, JRS-Portugal is prepared to:
- Circulate general and specific information about the program and the network of entities envolved in it;
- Interview the returnee in order to have more information about their immigration path;
- Follow up the beneficiary during this period.
JRS Portugal also:
- Provides housing to the beneficiary while awaiting the return trip.
5. What kind of reintegration assistance does the ERSO member offer to returnees?
Concerning reintegration in the country of origin, JRS-Portugal makes a number of contacts, namely with:
- The returnee’s family, in order to prepare them and to see if they are willing to welcome the returnee;
- The local JRS in the county of origin (specially JRS-Ukraine), in order to welcome the returnee and give support after arrival;
- Other international organizations working in that country (e.g. Caritas);
- Local organizations operating in the beneficiary’s neighbourhood, which may effectively help the returnee to get integrated in his/her former community.
6. Partners in the context of voluntary return and reintegration:
National level: IOM, Border and Alien Police as JRS PT is part of a European Network – SURRIA – in which Border and Aliens Police is one of the partners (they provide the required travel documents to the returnee to leave the country).
EU level: JRS offices in Europe and ERSO members.
Countries of origin: JRS Ukraine
7. Top 5 of returnees by country of origin assisted by the ERSO member in 2006:
Top 5 actual returns by country of origin
- Brazil – 65%
- Angola – 15%
- Ukraine – 5%
- Cape Verde – 7%
- Russian Federation – 4%
