rICHMOND uNIVERSITY IN rOME

Haley Elizabeth Claffy

Internship in International Relations

Joel Nafuma Refugee Center – Intern

Via Napoli 58, 00184 Roma, Italia · www.jnrc.it

15 February 2016 – 5 May 2016

Internship Coordinator: Francesca NardelliWorkplace Supervisor: Daniela Morales

Page | 103 May, 2016 Word Count: 4191

Table of Contents

Section I: Learning Contract ………………………………………...… 2Section II: Business Report …………………………...………………... 6Section III: Collection of Artefacts ……………………………....… 12

Website BiographiesPresentation on Levels of International ProtectionTranslated Signs of Center RulesInterview One: The GambiaInterview Two: Balochistan

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Section IV: Conclusion ……………………………………………….... 18Section V: Curriculum Vitae ……………………………….…….….. 21Section VI: Appendix………….……………………………….……….. 23

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Section I: Learning ContractJoel Nafuma Refugee Center

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Page | 7Section II: Business Report

Joel Nafuma Refugee Center

Structure and History of JNRC: In the 1970s, Rome experienced a surge in refugee activity. Italy at the time maintained an “open door” policy towards migrants, many of whom found their way to Saint Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church on Via Napoli. The Church offered various services and as much hospitality as it could provide to the refugees that arrived at its doors, however, it was not until the 1980s that Reverend Joel Nafuma, a Ugandan priest and refugee, was asked by the Rector of the church, Reverend Wilbur Woodhams, to begin a formal ministry for the refugees of Rome. Thus, the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center was born, of very little financial stability, and entirely reliant on a volunteer workforce. When Reverend Nafuma later left the church, his position was not replaced, and the Center continued on a semi-formal basis, intrinsically linked and dependent on the parish. After some years of hardship during the early 1990s, when there was various debate over how Church involvement in Center affairs, the Center was reestablished on June 25, 1995, and it continues today to act as a place of peace, and offer its “radical hospitality to refugees in the heart of Rome.”Today, the director of JNRC is Reverend Austin K. Rios, who is assisted by the daily operations and assistance coordinator, Piero Rijtano. All of the members of the staff at the center, regardless of role, interact and provide support for one another in their various tasks on a daily basis. In such a work environment, where refugees (referred to as “guests”) enter and exit the center at will, complete integration and good communication are key

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factors to success, something that the center accomplishes extraordinarily well. In my time at the center, I worked closely with the program and volunteer coordinator, Daniela Morales, who would provide me with my various tasks and goals to complete for the day or week. I often worked alongside, or was assisted by various other interns at the center, including Thomas Devita, who was a blessing to work with, as he was able to share much of his multitude of international work experience with me. But truly, I was able to interact with all members of the staff from various areas of expertise on a daily basis, due to the truly altruistic community aspect of the center.

"Joel Nafuma Refugee Center." Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. 2016. Web. 19 April 2016.

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Interview: Daniela Morales

Daniela Morales is the program volunteer and coordinator at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, and has been working with the center since November of 2014. She is involved with the organization of the volunteers that come to the Center, as well as making sure the center runs smoothly by overseeing tasks such as forming schedules, fundraising, public relations, and the availability of volunteers for work in language classes, the supply room, etcetera. She is an extraordinarily kindhearted person, which greatly benefits the Center’s guests and volunteers alike, and is incredibly knowledgeable on matters regarding refugees from all over the world.

Daniela was involved with refugee work from an early age- as a teenager, her family hosted Burmese refugees in their home, and she later moved on to work with the Women’s Refugee Commission. She has a BA in Global Studies from the University of Minnesota, and a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University. She has lived all over the world, from New York, Japan, Brazil, to Rome, and loves her work with the refugees of Rome and the JNRC. She feels that at the Center, if one has an idea and the willingness to make it happen, the possibilities are limitless, and that this ability, in regards to responding to the needs of the JNRC’s guests, has truly been a rewarding aspect of her work.

Working with Daniela has benefitted me exponentially. She has taught me so much about refugee matters and their situations in Rome, as well as becoming an incredible friend. It is due largely to her that I have opened up the possibility of changing career paths, from government work to non-profit, and truly hope to work with her again in the future.

For the full interview, please see the Appendix, pages 30-31.

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"Joel Nafuma Refugee Center." Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. 2016. Web. 19 April 2016.

Industry Topics: Ever since Saint Paul’s Within the Walls first started offering hospitality to refugees during the surge of migrants in the 1970s, the Church and Center have been beloved by Rome and refugees alike. After arriving in Rome, refugees tend to experience a reality of “sempre in giro,” where they are constantly moving around and around to meet basic needs due to a lack of work opportunities and places to stay. Most centers in Rome are only open for specific periods of time, such as in the morning or evening, and then guests are forced to leave until whatever time it is that the center reopens. Joel Nafuma Refugee Center is one of the only daytime centers in Rome, where, from 09:00 to 14:00 guests can come to have a small breakfast, take language classes, apply for jobs, or simply just rest. The center is also a remarkable place for peace, regardless of cultural differences, especially in times where many refugees suffer from extreme racism from the public. JNRC website quotes one guest, who stated:

I am Shia Muslim, and many of these men are Sunni.  Shia and Sunnis are at war around the world.  In my country, there has been constant war of one kind or another for 34 years, but those who gather here are tired of fighting and respect this Center as a place for peace.

The Center today still operates with a primarily volunteer workforce, and through the generous donations of the public. It accepts individuals, from a wide range of nations. However, the majority of guests who come to the center are male, and the two most common nationalities are Afghani and Malian. Most certainly, the current surge of refugees to Europe, known as the “Migrant Crisis,” has

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made life for refugees in Rome more difficult, as xenophobia is becoming more and more prevalent throughout Europe, however the Center continues, as it always has, to provide as many services for its guests as possible.

"Joel Nafuma Refugee Center." Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. 2016. Web. 19 April 2016.

Networking Opportunities:

Daniela MoralesDaniela acted as my workplace supervisor during my

internship, and I was able to work closely with her throughout my time in Rome. Networking with her has been a marvelous opportunity, as she has already helped me to connect with many other people, such as other ex-pats living in Rome. This is incredibly important to me, as I have been seriously considering returning to Italy for work after I graduate, and she has given me insight into working and living in Italy, as well as helped me find others to assist me as well.

Thomas Devita I met Thomas the very first day that I arrived at JNRC.

He, like me, was working as an intern at the center, however, he had been working here for a few weeks already, and also had much more work experience than I did. As we worked together more and more over time, we became good friends, often taking coffee or lunch breaks

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together and discussing not only work, but other topics as well. I think very highly of him, and he has definitely been a fantastic person to be able to network with. He has worked all over the world for various different companies in China and in Australia, and his sharing of his international work experience has been incredibly valuable, and will prove to be even more so in the future.

Annika Milisic-StanleyI met Annika a couple weeks into my work at the

center. I had seen her profile on the center website, but I had not met her until I walked into the office one day to find her struggling with the printer. I offered to help her, and after many more technological issues, we managed to figure out how to work the machine. She too, like many of my other contacts, has travelled throughout the world- she hails from the UK, but has worked in Africa, Tajiikistan, India, and more. She is also a published writer, having written The Disobedient Wife, a story of women in Tajiikistan (which she was kind enough to sign a copy of for me). She has been a fantastic contact, as she has been able to talk to me all about various regions of the world, and also has been able to explain to me what it has been like to work both for non-profit organizations as well as government institutions.

Halvar Andreassen Kjaerre I met Halvar when he was visiting the center one day

to do research on Afghanistan. He is a PhD fellow in social anthropology from the University of Bergen in Norway. It was wonderful being able to talk to him about his travels and work, and being able to connect with him has given me an excellent resource for information on the people of

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Afghanistan, and also simply a wonderful foreign connection.

Nikita ShabaziMs. Shabazi I was able to connect with via email, after

one of the other interns in the AIFS program, Hannah Wood, mentioned my work with refugees to her in conversation. She is the founder of the IMove Foundation, a non-partisan, non-governmental foundation in Amsterdam that focuses on literacy training as well as using mindfulness, movement therapy, and yoga to help migrant women and children, specifically Syrians, rebuild themselves mentally and physically after the negative experiences they have undergone. Being able to connect with Ms. Shabazi will allow me to further branch out into the world of refugee based, international, non-profit organizations, and I hope to be able to continue to speak with her, and even possibly one day work with her in the future.

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Section III: Collection of ArtefactsJoel Nafuma Refugee Center

Artefact Ia and IbWebsite BiographiesDescription:

The four biographies seen that make up Artefact I are some of the very first projects that I was given to work on at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. On the center’s website, there was already a page of biographies of the volunteers and staff, however, it was incomplete. I was asked to interview Rev. Austin Rios, Wiliam Ebona, Adama Traore, and Fahad, and compile short biographies similar in word count and style to the ones already posted on the website.

Rev. Austin was not available to be interviewed when I began this project, as he was away from Rome for work. However, I was able to find the information necessary for his biography on Linked In, as well as from his biography posted on the website for St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church. I combined the information found in both sources, to create a draft, used the picture provided on the St. Paul’s Within the Walls website, and finalized the draft.

Secondly, I interviewed Adama Traore and Fahad, the center’s two peace keepers. I found this process slightly more difficult, and, for lack of a better word, slightly intimidating, due to the fact that it was only the beginning of my internship, and I had not yet built a rapport with them. In addition, they did not wish to speak very much about their own life stories, as they too, came to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center as refugees from Mali and

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Afghanistan respectively. Instead, I decided to interview them on their feelings about the Center, and the work that it does for the refugees of Rome- a topic which they were very happy to talk about and share their opinions of. From this, I compiled drafts and later the final edition.

My final interview was with Wiliam Ebona, the Center’s “navigator.” His role at the center is to help guests navigate the various political and bureaucratic channels of Italy. He is from Gabon, and speaks fluent French, Italian, and some English. He was happy to talk to me, although there was a slight language barrier. However, thanks to my study of French and the Italian, we were still able to understand one another and complete his biography, and, after the initial draft, I added his to the list of those completed.

The process I took to complete this project consisted of the interviews/ compiling of information, a first draft, having a coworker read through my work, a second draft, having my work approved by Daniela, and then posting them to the website. I decided to add these his was the first time I had ever done any biographical work for a public relations matter, and personally, I was pleased with the work I completed, as was my work place supervisor when she saw it on completion.

(The biographies pictured above, and others of the staff and volunteers at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center can be

found on the Center’s website – www.jnrc.it.)

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Artefact IIPresentation on International ProtectionDescription:

The project in Artefact II is a PowerPoint presentation on the levels of international protection available in Italy to asylum seekers and refugees. The entire presentation consists of twenty-seven slides, and was primarily directed towards possible future volunteers interested in how the asylum process works in Italy.

I included this artefact, due to the fact that his project was the first purely research based assignment that I undertook, and took me a considerable amount of time to complete. However, despite the time it took, I highly enjoyed the research process, and learned an incredible amount about the asylum process, as well as learning more about the Dublin Regulation, one of the most deciding factors in an asylum seeker or refugee’s future in Europe.

Researching this topic was incredibly rewarding, as was compiling it into a concise and aesthetically attractive presentation for the public. My process of completion included initial research into the topic, creating a more concise outline of the information I found, accumulating the information into a PowerPoint, editing the information for any grammatical errors or overly wordy phrases, and finally, designing the slides in such a way that they would make an eye-catching presentation. In addition, my presentation has already been used by the center in educating some of the student groups that have visited.

(Complete presentation will be available soon on the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center website - www.jnrc.it)

Page | 17Artefact IIITranslated Signs of the Center RulesDescription:

The slides that compose Artefact III are two of a compilation of twelve, containing the center rules in the four languages most prevalent at the center- Italian, English, French, and Farsi, as well as pictures. I included these slides in because this project required the assistance of various other staff members at the center to complete, and was the most difficult of my assignments to complete, simply due to the need to coordinate the various other volunteers I needed to work with to finish the translations.

To begin this project, I was given a list of the center rules, and then proceeded to use what knowledge I did have of French and Italian to begin the translations. Afterwards, I began the translations into Farsi, however, this was exceedingly more difficult, as I neither know the basics of the language, nor how to type it on an American keyboard.

After working on the basic translations myself, I then sent the slides to Sandra Venturini, one of the Italian teachers at the center, then to Wiliam Ebona for the French translation. I later sat down with Rakin Akila, a refugee from Afghanistan and a member of the artisan group at the center, who was able to help me correct and type the Farsi translation of the rules. Quite surprisingly, I did much better with my initial translations into French and Italian, however, quite unsurprisingly, my Farsi translations were absolutely horrid, due to my complete reliance on Google Translate.

Once the translations were finished, I worked on stylizing the slides and also finding various clip art to include, to assist those

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who may not be literate or know the languages provided. Most of the art I was able to find online, however, a few I actually created myself in order to fit with the style and simplicity that I was attempting to maintain throughout the slides.

The signs, upon completion, have since been printed, and now can be seen posted throughout the center.

Artefact IVInterview One: The GambiaDescription:

Further along into my internship, Daniela, my workplace supervisor, introduced to me the idea of working on a public relations campaign, in which various guests from a variety of nations would tell their stories and the stories of what the situation was in their homelands, and my first interview for this project can be seen in Artefact IV.

The interview is of a young man from the Gambia. I had the chance to sit down with him to discuss what life was like in the Gambia and why he was forced to leave. Through previous research, I had learned of the current situation- how the president of the country allowed no dissent towards his regime at all, and that freedoms of speech and the press were nonexistent-but being able to hear an account first hand was a humbling experience.

The process of preparing the interview started with initial research of the country, the interview (which I recorded), initial dictation, editing the grammar and language, and finally, the formatting of the interview for its future posting on the website. I included this interview in my portfolio because it truly opened my eyes to the events taking place in Africa, especially in the

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Gambia, and has spurred me to want to do more research on my own in the states for the JNRC.

(This interview will be made available soon on the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center Website – www.jnrc.it)

Artefact VInterview Two: BalochistanDescription:

My second interview seen in Artifact V followed shortly after the completion of the first, and was with a young man only a few years older than I, from Balochistan- the largest province of Pakistan that has been for years now attempting to gain its own independence.

I included this interview in my portfolio as well because I found his story incredibly touching, as he was so close to my age, and has already been through so much hardship. Yet, the point I wished to convey in the conclusion of our interview was simply how full of hope he still was for himself and for his country. He was quite an inspiring individual, and one I will never forget.

The process followed the same form as my other interview, however, the individual, as he has a history in journalism, has requested to add some more information and edits to the interview as well, and once he has done so, the interview shall be finalized and posted online.

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(This interview will be made available soon on the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center Website – www.jnrc.it)

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Section IV: ConclusionJoel Nafuma Refugee Center

Working with the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center has by far exceeded the expectations I had formulated prior to my arrival in Rome. When looking back at my Learning Contract, something that I completed so early on in my time here, I find that it was completed both wholly accurately and inaccurately. I was accurate in my descriptions of my workplace activities- my research and interviews, my translations, and my work on a human level by simply being available to talk to within the center- however, I was completely inaccurate in my self-evaluation aspects, such as my learning objectives and how I would know when I achieved these objectives.

I dictated my learning objective to be “to obtain a deeper understanding of the current refugee crisis in Europe… [and] to connect with other individuals involved in refugee work and other international organizations.” These objectives were true, however, I now realize, from a much different perspective than the one I have since developed from working with the JNRC. I had approached my internship as simply being a “black and white” issue- my objective was, to put it into simpler terms, to analyze the refugee crisis, and to make contacts within the international community. My approach was completely analytical and, now that I look back on it, quite cold.

But my work at the center changed that completely. Yes, I did in fact learn about the refugee crisis, but not only at a macro level, but a micro level- day by day I learned about what was happening from individuals, and saw how the laws enacted at a global scale can be completely beneficial or incredibly devastating in the lives of the asylum seekers and refugees I met. I did meet people in refugee work and work with international organizations, but they are not simply contacts now, but close

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friends who I enjoy working with because I know just how passionate they are about their work, and I am inspired to make a difference just as they are trying to.

I had thought my internship would involve me tucked away in an office, working on various documents silently, with very little involvement for others. Instead, I worked alongside my coworkers and the guests of the center each and every day- laughing together and sharing in the frustrations of one another. It was everything I could have hoped for- meeting new people, from all over the world who all have different ideas and viewpoints, and yet we still were all able to work for the same goal of simply helping the guests at the center as much as we possibly could.

In my Learning Contract, I told myself I would know when I had achieved my goals when I “gained a deeper understanding and broader knowledge of the refugee crisis.” I have, without a doubt, learned so very much throughout this experience, but it has also taught me that I still have very much to learn as well. If I could do anything differently, it would simply be that I had more time to work at the JNRC, interviewing guests, so that I could learn even more. I can, just as I wanted to, explain to my peers the concepts of the refugee crisis, and also tell them, on a personal level, how people are affected by it, but I still learn something new each and every day from those who have been involved with refugees for so much longer. And the fact that I, as well as the public, still have so much to learn gives me hope that even though the issues are not black and white, that better solutions can still be found, and that people still can make a difference for the betterment of all.

This passion that I have found in myself for wanting to make a difference, and to learn more has changed so many of my future plans. Before arriving in Italy, my entire life was planned out perfectly- I would finish school, possibly attend law school, and work for the United States government in some capacity or another. Yet now I see that I don’t want to work from a desk- I want to work with people, connecting personally rather than

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staying aloof and apart. Perhaps I will still pursue work with a government agency and attempt to work in the field, but I am also looking into non-profit work and INGOs, places that I had not even considered in the past. In addition, I wish to return to Italy for work, and sincerely hope that when I do, if I am in Rome or the Lazio region, that there will be a place at the JNRC for me to return to volunteer and help out however I can.

In conclusion, I cannot thank enough AIFS and Richmond University, and my workplace supervisor, Daniela Morales, as well as my other coworkers and friends of the JNRC, for the absolutely incredible, and truly life changing experience I was able to be a part of this semester abroad. It will forever hold a special place in my heart, and I know that it has transformed me and opened my eyes to so many new possibilities.

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Section V: Curriculum VitaeJoel Nafuma Refugee Center

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Haley Elizabeth Claffy

1451 Chain Gang Road, Eastover SC 29044 | (803)-603-5564 | claffyh@outlook.com| 

BioFrom an early age, I always knew that I wanted to make a difference in the world. This goal led me to

pursue international relations as a field of study, as well as begin learning as many languages as I possibly could. I discovered my passion in learning about new cultures and language. My studies led me to intern at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center in Rome, Italy, an experience which showed me just

how changes in law at a macro level can affect even single individuals, and this experience has solidified my resolve in my choice of field of study and future career in international relations

EducationUniversity of South Carolina Columbia, SC

Bachelor of Arts in International Studies May 2017

HonorsPalmetto Life ScholarshipUniversity of South Carolina Capstone Scholar

Cardinal Newman High SchoolColumbia, SC

High School Diploma May 2013

Internship The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center Via Napoli 58, 00184 Roma, Italy Intern, AIFS Study Abroad and Richmond University

February 16 2016 – May 5 2016

Through AIFS Study Abroad and Richmond University, worked compiling biographies, performing interviews, providing translations of the rules and regulations into various languages, and researching a variety of countries and regions for the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center.

Achieved the ability to write informative and effective profiles on various countries

Increased intercultural communication and language skills by working in a foreign environment

Developed an increased global awareness of the current refugee crisis in Europe and of the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in Italy

SkillsLanguage: French (proficient), Chinese (novice), Russian (novice), Italian

(elementary)

ExperienceAir Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps

Columbia, SC University of South Carolina, Detachment 775 August 2013- May 2014

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Trained as an Air Force 4th Class Cadet in preparation for commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force

ActivitiesPI BETA PHI Fraternity for Women, Columbia, SC

Founding member of the South Carolina Alpha Chapter Member of the Fraternity Heritage Committee

Section VI: AppendixJoel Nafuma Refugee Center

Page | 27Artefact Ia

Page | 28Artefact Ib

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Artefact II

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Artefact III

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Artefact IV

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Interview Q&A

An interview with Daniela Morales, program and volunteer coordinator

at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center

Question: What do you do at the center? What is your title?Answer: Well, its program and volunteer coordinator. I am involved in organizing the volunteers: making the schedules, trying to make sure we have people to offer the language classes every day, work in the supply room, interns, fundraising, general public relations, etcetera.

Question: How long have you been working here?Answer: I’ve been working here since November of 2014.

Question: Have you worked at other refugee centers?Answer: No, I worked for the Women’s Refugee Commission, but I was developing materials, but not working directly with refugees at the time, and then I was a reader for a blind, South Sudanese student at my university.

Question: What is your favorite thing about working here?Answer: I really love the community- they’re really nice. They’re really wonderful volunteers. The people who come to our center

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are seeking peace and safety, and I just think that the people who end up here respect that.

Question: How did you find out about this center?Answer: I just googled refugee services in English!

Question: Do you work a lot with other centers?Answer: We try to. We work a lot with Program Integra- we have a good relationship with the lawyer there, and she’s helped us on several cases. We also work with Centro Astalli, with the program manager there, Chiara. She sends her students to us, and also helps us with logistical advice. And then MEDU a little bit- we hosted an informational panel last November, where we had speakers from MEDU, La Regione Lazio, and Centro Astalli, and Centro Baobab- they offer similar services, but people live there.

Question: What do you think you’ve gained the most from working here?Answer: I like the fact that if you have an idea, and you have the capacity or the manpower to make it happen, it feels like the possibilities are relatively limitless. It feels nice to get creative, and really respond to the needs of the guests.

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Workplace Timesheet

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Workplace Timesheet Signed

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Timesheet of Internship Program Workshop Tutorials

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Discussion on “The Intern” Film

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Discussion on “The Intern” Film Continued