From 8 to 11 October, the Foundation team had the pleasure and honour of participating in a study visit to Novara, Italy.
As part of the INTEGRA project, the Foundation's representatives, together with a team of cooperating volunteers and experts, became acquainted with good practices, applied in Italy, in supporting the integration into the host society of people with migration and refugee experience.
During an intensive stay of several days, the Italian project partner, the Hesed Association, gave us an overview of the migrants and refugees who reach Italy, their challenges and needs.
We had the opportunity to learn about the complex system of support for migrants, from institutional solutions, through the support of NGOs covering both economic and subsistence assistance and volunteer care, to the activities of church organisations and the community created by the Ukrainian community in Novara.
We also met the protagonists of our Success stories- guidebook e-book, Elif, Ernest and Bouna, who personally shared their difficult but uplifting stories with us, giving us inspiration to move forward.
The icing on the cake was the opportunity to learn about the culture and natural resources of Novara - Europe's main rice producer. We were able to visit in person one of the most modern rice plantations, which, thanks to AI and GPS technology, implements the principles of sustainability and offers a product of the highest quality.
We would like to thank our partner Hesed for organising the visit, all the people involved that we had the pleasure of meeting: The Mayor of Novara, the Director of Social Policy, Father Yuri, the Hesed volunteers and all the other people who contribuited to the visit.
Project funded by the European Union under the grant2023-2-PL01-KA210-ADU-000170267
