The Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI) have opened an office at the national church of Ukrainians in Rome to offer aid and assistance to refugees. The help desk will be open on Thursdays with specialized operators.
The Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI) in Rome have opened an office at the Basilica of Santa Sofia, the national church of Ukrainians in the Italian capital, to help refugees. The office will be open every Thursday with the presence of specialized operators from the charitable institution in Rome and an operator from Lviv, who moved to Italy after the beginning of the war.
The organization said in a statement issued on Wednesday (July 6) that "professional, qualified expertise will be guaranteed" from the office. The helpline aims to try and empathise with callers and help them through the difficult situation of being displaced in another country. It will try and offer advice on bureaucratic practices needed for Ukrainians making a new life in Italy.
Building networks
The office was opened thanks to the cooperation between Father Marco Yaroslav Semehen, dean of the Basilica Minore of Santa Sofia, and the municipal administration Municipio Roma XIII.
Lidia Borzì, president of ACLI Roma said the help desk represents another addition in the organization's commitment "since the beginning of this atrocious war" to help refugees who "suddenly lost everything" and had "to move to a new country, losing all [their previous] connections."
Borzì added that since the beginning of the war, her organization had seen the importance of building a network in order to try and welcome the new arrivals and take care of them.
ACLI's commitment for refugees
Rome's ACLI has been busy working on several projects in collaboration with ACLI's union and with the entire organization, joining forces with the municipal administration of Rome and other associations.
The initiatives include a food bank, donations of medicines and clothing to several associations, such as Associazione S. Sofia, Associazione Salvamamme, Associazione Cristiana Ucraini as well as to Ukrainian families assisted by ACLI.
ACLI operatives from Moldova and Ukraine have been helping coordinate translation and navigate the extensive bureaucratic processes needed to start a new life in Italy.
If you click on this page you will find a list of different free numbers which have been provided by ACLI and will help with accommodation and other needs you may have, including health, transport and emergency help as well as bureaucracy.