This morning, at 9.30 a.m., thirty-four people from the Greek island of Lesbos landed at Fiumicino with the humanitarian corridors. They are of thirteen nationalities (including Afghanistan, Mali, Congo, Somalia and Syria) and will be welcomed in our country according to the well-established and successful model of the humanitarian corridors. Since February 2016 more than 3,700 people have arrived legally and safely - protected from human traffickers - in Italy, France, Belgium and Andorra.
This latest humanitarian corridor - made possible by a protocol signed by the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Ministry of the Interior on 22 September 2020 - also brings to Italy 8 unaccompanied minors and 7 new adults who became 18 years old in recent weeks. These are boys and girls, who arrived in Greece as early as 2019: They suffered very difficult journeys through Asia, Africa or the Middle East experiencing mistreatment, exploitation and violence. The minors will be taken in by families of the Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII and by family-type structures of some Tuscan municipalities (Livorno, Pisa, Scandicci) that, together with the Tuscany network of voluntary guardians have offered their support.
Families and individual refugees will be hosted also in Lazio, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo and Piedmont. All of them have already started their integration process in Greece, participating in an online Italian course.
Today's arrival is just a few days before the beginning of Sant'Egidio summer activities in Athens and Lesbos, where - until the end of August - 200 volunteers from all over Europe will be present with food distributions, educational workshops, language courses and outings for people living in the camps.
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