reporter: among those she's helping are belal, hawa and samia from sudan.iously they didn't know anything about portugal and had no plans to come here. >> my family said no we are not going to portugal. but then on the list we come. because there was no choice. reporter: it's the european authorities who decide where the refugees end up. portugal says it's willing to take in over 10,000, more than twice the number originally agreed with the eu. nataliya believes that was a good decision, because portugal has the lowest birth rate in the eu. and, many young portuguese are leaving to find work abroad. >> if portugal doesn't take in migrants, we'll only have half the workforce left in ten years. so we need the refugees. in a way they could effectively replace the people who are leaving. reporter: the town of penela is also shrinking. and so many locals are pleased to see the refugees. >> they could help bring a bit more life back to penela. there are so many houses just standing empty, it's sad! reporter: the local authorities are proud of their town's pioneer