Reception and integration
Not only reception, but above all integration
Since 2012, we have welcomed in the projects developed with our partners, more than 600 refugees and asylum seekers coming from 30 different countries. Among them, were 188 children, 66 of whom were Unaccompanied Foreign Minors.
Our idea of reception focusses on the individual, their peculiarities, and their rights, especially in the case of minors. We are members of the National Reception Network SIPROIMI (Protection System for Beneficiaries of International Protection and for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors) and we have adopted a model of widespread reception. Our guests, mainly families with children or unaccompanied minors, are accommodated for some months in flats in small villages, in Basilicata. To facilitate the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the 13 villages in which we have so far carried out our projects, we provide services such as Italian language courses, workshops, cultural activities, and playrooms for the children.
Our commitment to promoting the potential of each person allows refugees and asylum seekers to develop independence while being involved in our projects. It is very important for us that they actively participate in Italian courses, attend school, and undertake internships which are the gateway into the world of work. The greatest result for us is the transformation of internships into jobs when both employer and employee can continue the experience.
Since 2014, 18 internships for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors have been launched and 20 minors have found a job after the placement. In some cases, we have also created opportunities for family fostering. In the same period, more than 55 internships for adults were carried out and many of them became job contracts mainly in catering, tourism, agriculture, and craftmanship.