4.4.3. Portuguese context

At the local level, there is a relevant program of welcoming and supporting refugee students by the University of Coimbra (UC). The program is carried out in a multilateral way, bringing together community work “(...) with entities strategically dedicated to the support in question (…)” namely “(...) the Portuguese Council for Refugees (CPR), the Platform Refugee Support Service (PAR), the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP), the Social Security Institute (ISS), the Coimbra City Hall (CMC), the Coimbra Academic Association (AAC), the Assistance, Development Foundation, and Professional Training of Miranda do Corvo (ADFP) (...) ”, Cáritas de Coimbra, cooperating with the Global Platform for Syrian Students. UC is also actively involved with other universities (Coimbra Group), creating synergies at European level in response to the refugee crisis. They have organized “"Recognition of Refugees´ ´ Qualifications: looking for International consensus"” workshop, “(…) to present and discuss the different approaches already in place towards the recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications and to learn mainly with those considered as best practices.” An initial contact is made by the associations that represent the refugees and the Division of International Relations (DRI) of the UC. Financial support is also provided by the Refugee Support Fund (FAR), which includes the payment of tuition fees and academic fees, Portuguese language courses (offered by the Faculty of Languages of the UC) as well and Year Zero.
The inclusion and monitoring process of international refugee students begins with a welcoming session at Casa da Lusofonia, by DRI, where general information is provided. The monitoring is done by DRI through the promotion of integration actions with the academic community and the monitoring of their academic path, namely “(...) through the conduct of monitoring sessions to assess the progress of studies. The first follow-up session must be held at least in the 4 months after the academic integration in the UC”.
Santo António dos Olivais Parish Center, has been playing a major role supporting families of refugees, providing them with access to useful legislation in terms of obtaining residence and the status of refugee or subsidiary international protection given by SEF.
Municipal and Intercultural Mediators Project (PMMI), works in partnership with various civil society entities having the CMC as the leader. They work with Roma Community and migrant population following the priorities of the National Strategy for Inclusion. The project has begun the intervention having activated and expanded its network of partners and developed articulation work to meet the presented needs. As a result of that community action, it was possible to enrol students at the UC. Moreover, the PMMI continues to monitor the development process of the mediated persons, in different axes of needs, as well as their respective households. It is a fundamental condition for their socio-cultural inclusion in the University environment and in the community, with extreme impact on their own lives.