SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
It should be a priority for those who govern a large or medium-sized city: providing an adjusted response to the problem of the influx of migrants from various nearby States, looking to earn a little better to help the family out of poverty.
For the accommodation of most of them, the host cities must have a practical meaning and facilitate/increase the offer of affordable income homes. Otherwise, the migrants settle in bad conditions, as they can, with the idea of saving and sending them to their families.
In the midst of poverty in which they live, but with the sacrifice of being away from the family or emigrating with the family but in poor shelter, they do an important job for the city that needs their specialised contribution in civil construction or residential houses or in commerce in general.
Therefore, whoever hires them to work, must ensure their material installation, enabling affordable rental houses. Government officials in these cities should also pay attention to the need to prepare them with adequate training for the work they want to do. I would say about three months of training, in the chosen specialty, such as: carpentry, electrician, plumber, painter, car technician, etc, because this, in addition to the benefit of the workers themselves, ends up being very much to the benefit of the city, of the works they do, as they better made and finished.
But in a city, in addition to migrant workers, there are many people who have suffered from some mental disorder, by different causes and who have been abandoned by their families, or who once left their village, were unsuccessful and because of the shame of failure they did not want to go back to it.
It is important to prepare a municipal plan to accommodate these maladaptive people and, in no way, leave them dying of a life in the open and from poor nutrition. With the countless works of metro and other infrastructure, which takes place in almost all cities in India, it could be planned to have a certain space, under the aerial metro lines, as it is in Mumbai, for one or several centres for accommodation of the homeless, to spend a night or several ones. Giving them a hot meal on arrival, with the possibility of a bath and being able to spend the night there. Thus, they could have a slightly more comfortable life.
There are aspects of city life that must be planned and studied so that a person in charge, of the municipality, with the help of social solidarity institutions, can take care of them and, eventually, prepare them for reintegration into active working life. The municipality could open a bid for NGOs to qualify to run these centres. Beneficiaries should collaborate in cleaning and other cooking and laundry work that they enjoy.
As I mentioned, under the aerial metro lines, there is space at the base to convert into gardens, and places of rest for the general public. And, from time to time, at a certain distance from each other, such centres could be located, say to accommodate some 20 people, with a kitchen, bathrooms, laundry and a dining room.
While this is not taking shape, which should be an urgent measure, citizens could be appealed to, together with the authorities, to find spaces in old houses or abandoned warehouses that can be easily and quickly adapted for this purpose. Citizen participation is very important, with part of the responsibility to devise such solutions.
In some countries like Portugal, Brazil, Angola, etc, there is a very old and typical institution, dictated by charity. It is called Misericórdia, as there is an example in Goa, established in the 17th century. There is a template for that purposes, with the Statutes, the social bodies, the services to provide to society, etc. It is a charitable institution, of quick constitution and approval, by the governmental entities, as it is something typified. The services to be provided by each Misericordia are what the city needs, always expanding with the new demands of life.
There were 383 Misericórdias in Portugal, and more come up with the time. They are designed to receive donations and inheritances, so that they can continue with their philanthropic action.
There should be an organism in the municipality thinking about how to solve problems of this content related to the homeless, the elderly, the sick, with no one to treat them.
The Misericórdia de Lisboa has many reception centres for abandoned people, for political refugees, for wars refugees, for migrants, where they also provide professional training to qualify them for a certain type of work. Receiving the minimum care of hygiene, decent clothes, food, each one can take the initiative to start their lives again. The important thing is not to let them “rotten”, left to themselves without any conditions of hygiene or food.
Another initiative in Lisbon, CAIS, which makes a Magazine, on City themes, printed as a sense of social responsibility. Such magazines are sold by CAIS members, with 80% of the sale price (fixed price) for the vendor. The remaining 20% goes to the entity that manages the magazine. This makes it easier for the salesperson to recover from his apathy, re-enter the active life and gain something that will encourage him to continue and eventually to reintegrate in the society.
When we think a little bit, we find solutions; but after that, the Governance of the city must take real interest in making them effective.
(Eugenio Viassa Monteiro is a Professor at AESE-Business School (Lisbon) and at I.I.M. Rohtak (India)] (Herald)
Carlos A. Monteiro is an Engineer, ex-Professional of Investment Banking,
based in NY.)
