Rome, 11 April 2024 – The Mediterranean Hope team was delighted to learn that it was one of four recipients chosen by staff of the Canadian Embassy in Rome to benefit from their personal fundraising efforts over the course of the last year.
MH was invited to attend a reception at the Canadian Embassy on Via Salaria on 10th April in order to be presented with the donation on behalf of the Canadian Ambassador, and to meet staff members directly involved in the fund-raising effort.
“This year it was the turn of the Migration Section to identify beneficiaries of the scheme” explained Angèle Tissot, Migration Program Manager at the Embassy. “The staff committee considered carefully which organisations to support and has been following the work of the organisations concerned over the course of the year. Aware of the important work which each is carrying out in this field, the beneficiaries identified were Binario 92, Arcigay, the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center and Mediterranean Hope.
Fiona Kendall, MH’s European & Legal Affairs advisor, was delighted to represent the team at the reception, to provide a brief overview of MH’s work and to have the opportunity to thank Embassy staff for their commitment and faith in the team. “Throughout the year, staff engaged in a variety of initiatives such as bake sales and, through their own efforts, are now contributing to MH’s work. For MH, it is just as important to connect with people at the grass roots as it is to connect with policy makers. It is very encouraging to learn that this work – and these issues – matter to so many. We are extremely grateful to the staff for its efforts.”
MH has engaged directly with the Canadian Embassy in Italy for some years now, appreciative of the leadership shown by Canada in the sphere of community sponsorship and legal pathways for those in need of international protection. “Italian civil society and Government have benefited greatly from Canadian experience in this field, and we have been applying lessons learned in Canada to build and expand legal pathways to Italy,” continued Kendall. “This willingness to share knowledge and to offer practical support is deeply appreciated as MH and other organisations work to scale constructive models of reception, through projects such as COMET* and STEP, which will support labour mobility in Italy, Ireland and Spain. We look forward to continuing to work together with our Canadian counterparts in finding constructive approaches to migration.”
