At 9.30 a.m. this morning forty people have landed at Fiumicino with the humanitarian corridors from the Greek island of Lesbos. They are of nine nationalities (including Afghanistan and some African countries) and will be hosted in different Italian regions according to the already tested model of the humanitarian corridors. Since February 2016 more than 3,500 people have been allowed to arrive legally and safely - protected from human trafficking - in Italy, France, Belgium and Andorra.
This latest arrival - included within a protocol signed by the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Ministry of the Interior - was also achieved thanks to the collaboration of the Greek authorities and the support of the European Commission. It aims at resolving the situation of refugees (families with children, vulnerable people and unaccompanied minors) who have been on the Greek island for some time now in extremely harsh living conditions, worsened by the pandemic.
They all have difficult stories behind, fleeing from countries where there is war, violence or unsustainable situation. The families of the forty new arrivals - including 13 minors - will finally be able to look to the future with hope thanks to a project that is based on valuable synergies of civil society and self-financed. They will be welcomed in nine different Italian regions (Lazio, Lombardy, Liguria, Piedmont, Sicily, Apulia, Molise, Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige) not only by Sant'Egidio, but also by Protestant Churches, parishes and associations such as Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII. The adults will be invited to attend Italian courses free of charge and the children will be immediately enrolled in our schools thus they will be able to start a number of integration paths towards autonomy and progressive inclusion into the labour market.
They arrived thanks to a protocol signed with the Viminale. They will be welcomed in different Italian regions with special integration paths.
