"We were stuck in Lebanon. We were on hold for years because of uncertainty when it comes to precarious jobs; there was not even a way to send our children to school."
These are different stories: two families coming from Iraq, the others from Syria, yet so similar in describing years of fear, pain, and uncertainty. The meeting links these stories with Sant'Egidio’s volunteers, who in Lebanon meet and help families access the humanitarian corridors program. This project was accepted by Italy, Belgium, and recently, by the Principality of Andorra.
As part of this program, 22 people arrived in France last night - at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris - including several children.
The refugees will be received by Sant'Egidio and the Catholic and Protestant Churches of France in various cities around the country. This brings to 130 the number of refugees welcomed in less than a year, thanks to the protocol signed with the French government, following the model that has already allowed the arrival in Italy of about 1,500 refugees since February 2016.
I have been in France since yesterday thanks to the humanitarian corridors
