JCU Community Service Program Donates to Palestinian Refugees
Palestinian families in Rome for medical treatment
On October 14th, the Community Service Program delivered fifteen large bags of donations from the JCU community to the Associazione Kim where a group of Palestinian refugees are currently being housed. Thirteen children from this group are receiving emergency medical attention in Rome for critical health issues.
On October 1st, the article “Da Damasco a Roma per essere curati” (“From Damascus to Rome to be healed”) by journalist Sabika Shah Povia was published in The Post Internazionale. The article explained that a group of Palestinian refugees arrived in Rome from the Damascus Refugee Camp, thanks to the coordination and assistance of the Italian Ministry of Health and UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency). Thirteen children with critical health issues were transported on a van from Damascus to Beirut, Lebanon. Subsequently, they were flown to Rome, along with their families, and are currently hosted at the Associazione Kim. Due to the difficulty of their journey, however, the families were unable to pack clothing and other basic necessities and are currently living off of donations from the community.
Read Sabika Shah Povia’s article “Da Damasco a Roma per essere curati”
After this article was brought to the attention of the Community Service Program, an email was sent to the JCU community asking for donations of food and personal hygiene products that were urgently needed at the Associazione Kim. Soon, the Student Services Office was full of generous contributions. Prof. Andrea Lanzone and Community Service Coordinator Julia Del Papa, later met with Dr. Marina Calvino, Secretary General of the UNWRA Committee, a new affiliation of the Community Service Program, to deliver the donations to the Associazione Kim.
On October 13th, journalist Sabika Shah Povia gave a Community Service Talk at JCU about her personal experience with migrants and refugees in Palestinian refugee camps. Ms. Shah Povia later commented that she was “impressed and happy to see that there are still so many hopeful students who want to change the world.” She also said “very often students just need to be supported and know that someone believes in them; hopefully I was able to convey this message.”
Read more about JCU’s Community Service Program
UNRWA and Associazione Kim extend their gratitude to the entire JCU community.
