São Paulo – The situation of Syrian refugees will be one of the topics of the International Relations Week at Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco university, which will take place from October 27th to 29th at the Lapa campus in São Paulo. The subject will be covered by the Syrian Amer Masarani, a member of Oasis Solidário – Associação de Assistência a Refugiados no Brasil, an association devoted to assisting Syrians who arrive in the country.
Masarani is involved with the university because Oasis’ work is receiving support from International Relations students at Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco. It all started when the International Law professor Ângela Tsatlogiannis discussed the refugee issue in her classes. That led to the idea of learning more about the conditions these people experience in Brazil.
The group set out seeking information on the work of NGOs and discovered Oasis Solidário (loosely translated as Oasis of Solidarity). The partnership began about a month ago with the donation of toys to 95 kids on Children’s Day, and relies on involvement from students, who assist the refugees in many ways, including accompanying them to settle legal issues at the Federal Police headquarters and to get medical attention at hospitals, for instance. The students speak English.
They exchange knowledge with the refugees, teaching them Portuguese and getting Arabic lessons in return. Tsatlogiannis will probably host workshops for the refugees, focusing on aspects of labor and other issues. “They are tough people, they don’t want to be in a situation where they’re dependent for too long; they’ll accept any job they’re given,” says the professor, who holds a master’s in International Law from Exeter University in the UK.
Masarani will speak at the International Relations Week of Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco next Wednesday (28th) at 7:40pm. He will cover the situation of Syrian refugees in Brazil and how they arrive in the country. Two refugees involved with Oasis will relate what they are experiencing. At this point of the Week, the students will also discuss their work with the refugees.
Other domestic and international affairs will be on the agenda. The Week is targeted at journalists, students, research and the general public. The topic of the first day will be trade and diplomacy between Brazil and China and the Asian country’s global position, as well as the scenario in Iran and the Islamic State threat in the Middle East. The second day will focus on refugees, Greece and the Eurozone. The third day will be about the rekindling of Cuba-US relations.
Rio Branco International Relations Week
Dates: October 27th, 28th and 29th, 2015
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Times: morning and evening
Where: Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco
Av. José Maria de Faria, 111 – Lapa District
São Paulo – São Paulo
www.riobrancofac.edu.br
Lecture about Syrians:
Wednesday, October 28th, 7:40pm to 10:40pm
Testimonies from NGO Oasis – Association for assistance to refugees in Brazil. Guest speaker: NGO staff member Amer Masarani
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
