Joel Nafuma Refugee Center

What Joel Nafuma Refugee Center does

Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC) is a nonprofit day center serving refugees and asylum seekers in Rome, Italy. Founded in the 1980s and housed in the crypt of St. Paul's Within the Walls Episcopal Church, JNRC provides a holistic suite of in-person services free of charge to approximately 150-250 guests daily. Core offerings include daily breakfast, a supply room distributing clothing and toiletries, a dedicated Women & Children's Room, Italian language courses (A1/A2 levels) plus English/German/French instruction, a Registration & InfoPoint, psychosocial counseling and art therapy, and employment support through the JNRC WORKS program and the web-based JobClinic Online tool built with ItaliaHello. The center also runs specialized programs — including the Rainbow Asylum Ministry for LGBTQ+ forced migrants, the Ukraine Help Desk, and the Dress With Dignity fashion project — as well as community integration initiatives such as the Embrace Diversity and Green Refuge Project environmental stewardship programs in partnership with Retake Roma.

JNRC is not financially supported by any government. Its revenue model consists entirely of private donations, in-kind contributions, and grants from faith-based, philanthropic, and institutional partners including the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), United Thank Offering (UTO), the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, Episcopal Migration Ministries, UNHCR, LDS Charities, OTB Foundation, the Only the Brave Foundation, ItaliaHello, and several U.S. Episcopal congregations. With 16 staff members, the majority of whom are volunteers supported by long-term staff and international interns, JNRC's go-to-market motion is community-led: services are delivered directly at the Rome day center, with awareness driven by word-of-mouth within refugee communities, social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), the JNRC website, and a Service Learning Program that engages high school and university groups. JNRC maintains no proprietary technology platform, generates no revenue from service fees, and is classified as a private nonprofit with no public listing or government affiliation.

Name

Joel Nafuma Refugee Center

Legal name

Joel Nafuma Refugee Center

Website

https://jnrc.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center is a nonprofit day center in Rome, Italy, serving 150-250 refugees and asylum seekers daily with free meals, supplies, language courses, counseling, and employment support, funded entirely by private donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Refugee Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee Reception & Registration (BPADAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Refugee day center
• Humanitarian aid services
• Asylum seeker support
• Language courses integration
• Nonprofit refugee assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The JNRC is funded entirely through private donations and grant funding from organizations and individuals. It is not financially supported by any government. Most operational work is carried out by volunteers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC) is a nonprofit day center located in the crypt of St. Paul's Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Italy. It provides refugees and asylum seekers with daily holistic services including breakfast, a free supply room of clothing and toiletries, language courses (Italian, English, German, French), counseling and art therapy, employment support (JNRC WORKS and JobClinic Online), legal and social advice, and a women's and children's safe room, serving approximately 150-250 people daily.

Product overview

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC) is a day center for refugees and asylum seekers operating from the crypt of St. Paul's Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome. The organization offers a holistic suite of services including: core daily services (Breakfast, Supply Room for clothing and toiletries, Women's & Children's Room, Italian Classes at A1/A2 levels, Registration & InfoPoint, JNRC WORKS employment support, and Psychosocial Support with counseling and art therapy); educational programs (Service Learning for student groups); and an online tool (JobClinic Online created with ItaliaHello). The center also runs numerous projects including environmental initiatives (Embrace Diversity, Green Refuge Project), community support programs (Rainbow Asylum Ministry for LGBTQ+ refugees, Ukraine Help Desk, Humanitarian Support with UMCOR), and creative projects (Dress With Dignity). The organization relies on volunteers and interns to operate its programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Breakfast Service Daily breakfast served between 8:30 and 10:00, composed of crackers, wrapped pastry, banana, fruit juice, and tea for refugees and asylum seekers.
• Supply Room Free distribution of clothing, shoes, coats, sleeping bags, underwear, hats, scarves, towels, toothbrushes, and toiletries to registered guests.
• Women's & Children's Room Safe space for women and children to relax, commune, receive clothing, hygiene products, and toys. Open 9:00-13:00 Monday through Friday.
• Italian Classes Language instruction at Level A1 (Monday & Wednesday 10:00-11:30) and Level A2 (Tuesday & Thursday 10:00-11:30), focused on workplace Italian.
• Registration & InfoPoint First point of contact where guests are registered, given JNRC cards for service access, and receive social and administrative advice. Open 8:30-12:00.
• JNRC WORKS Employment support program providing CV workshops, job search assistance, interview preparation, and career advice for refugees and asylum seekers.
• Psychosocial Support Counseling and mental health program offering art therapy, group therapy, and one-to-one counseling Monday through Friday 10:00-13:00.
• Service Learning Program Educational outreach program for student groups from high school to university level, raising awareness about migration complexities and the refugee experience through interactive sessions.
• JobClinic Online Online tool created with ItaliaHello to streamline job search for refugees and asylum seekers, facilitating CV creation and connecting them with employment opportunities.
• Rainbow Asylum Ministry Project Program specifically designed to support LGBTQ+ forced migrants with safe spaces, specialized training for volunteers, and community building in partnership with Episcopal Migration Ministries.
• Humanitarian and Development Support for Refugees in Rome with UMCOR Project providing essential aid (breakfasts, sleeping bags, hygiene products), mental health support, education, and legal aid to approximately 3,700 refugees in partnership with UMCOR.
• Ukraine Help Desk Dedicated assistance for Ukrainian refugees offering information services, administrative and legal support, job search help, and Italian language course enrollment. Open Wednesday and Friday 10am-1pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 150-250 people daily
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ItaliaHellocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItaliaHello collaborates on the Green Refuge Project and Job Clinic Online, providing social media campaign support through meetings, interviews, and shared photographic material.
• Retake RomacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetake Roma organizes weekly community-based cleanup efforts and urban space redevelopment with active involvement of JNRC guests. Key partner for Green Refuge and Embrace Diversity projects.
• Job4GoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian online platform that holds monthly job search workshops at JNRC covering CV writing, job interviews, and Italian job market norms.
• Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with JNRC to develop volunteer training tools using the Council of Europe's Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants (LIAM) toolkit, creating workshops and webinars.
• BAOBAB ExperienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with JNRC on humanitarian mission to Ukrainian-Moldovan border providing material assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
• Episcopal Migration MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Rainbow Asylum Ministry Project specifically serving LGBTQ+ forced migrants, providing specialized training and awareness materials.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - listed as partner/supporter.
• St George's International SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Moving & Belonging Art Project with JNRC throughout 2022-2023 academic year.
• Liceo Classico CavourminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal high school partner for Green Refuge Project environmental workshops.
• IIS Leonardo Da VinciminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal high school partner for Green Refuge Project environmental workshops.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Italiana: Italy's largest Catholic humanitarian network, providing refugee reception, shelter, and material aid across diocesan offices. Comparable in service category (refugee material aid, language support) but operates nationally across all social welfare domains, making it a broader incumbent rather than a direct Rome-day-center peer.
• Oxfam Italia: Italian affiliate of Oxfam International working on humanitarian response, refugee rights, and social inclusion. Provides comparable refugee advocacy and integration programming at a broader portfolio scale, including policy work that JNRC does not undertake.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major global humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement, employment, and integration support. While not Italy-specific at this scale, IRC's resettlement model — combining case management, language training, and employment services — is structurally analogous to JNRC's integrated service model.
• UNHCR Italy: UN Refugee Agency's Italy office, listed as a JNRC partner/supporter. Operates policy advocacy, asylum processing support, and refugee protection at the national level — a broader institutional incumbent in the same ecosystem rather than a day-service competitor.

Direct peers

• BAOBAB Experience: Rome-based volunteer-led organization providing humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees at the Italian-Moldovan border and in Rome. Listed as a JNRC collaborator on Ukraine border missions; operates comparable distribution and reception services for the same target population.
• Community of Sant'Egidio: Italy-rooted Catholic lay community that operates humanitarian aid programs including refugee reception, language instruction, and integration support through the Mediterranean program. Operates humanitarian corridors bringing refugees safely to Italy, comparable to JNRC's resettlement focus but at larger scale.
• Medici per i Diritti Umani (MEDU): Italian NGO providing medical, psychological, and legal assistance to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, including mobile clinic services in Rome and reception centers. Overlaps with JNRC's psychosocial support and legal advice services for the same population in the same geography.
• Episcopal Migration Ministries: U.S.-based Episcopal Church refugee resettlement agency operating Welcome Centers and the Rainbow Initiative — a direct JNRC partner on the Rainbow Asylum Ministry Project. Comparable in faith-based refugee service delivery, language training, and specialized LGBTQ+ refugee programming.
• Centro Astalli (Jesuit Refugee Service Italy): Rome-based refugee assistance organization that provides shelter, language courses, legal assistance, and cultural activities to asylum seekers and refugees. It is JNRC's most direct local peer — same city, same population, and overlapping service mix of language instruction, legal aid, and social support.

Emerging players

• Refugees Welcome Italia: Italian branch of the Refugees Welcome International network connecting refugees with hosting families, complemented by integration support programs. Comparable to JNRC in addressing the refugee-housing and integration gap, with a different (home-sharing) service delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JoelNafumaRefugeeCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joel-nafuma-refugee-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/jnrc.rome

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Joel Nafuma Refugee Center