Visitors to Sant'Alessio d'Aspromonte are greeted by a railing painted in the colours of the national flags of the migrants that have been accommodated in the local SPRAR - Italy's second-tier reception system for asylum seekers and refugees. This small town on the slopes of the Aspromonte mountain massif would be home to fewer than the present 400 inhabitants if it weren't for the likes of 25-year-old Eunice or 23-year-old Annabel, who both come from Nigeria. Eunice is expecting a baby, while Annabel is eager to learn. She wants to become a hairdresser and has agreed to take part in an apprenticeship as part of the SPRAR project. Model for other reception and integration projects The reception and integration projects that are a model for other towns have been promoted by the young mayor Stefano Ioli Calabrò and project manager Luigi De Filippis, a doctor who has become a point of reference at the national level for psycho-physical migrant care. "We are talking about people who, in the drama of their journey towards a better life, experience particular personal conditions... [These include] women, especially single women, pregnant women, single parents with young children, people who have been tortured, raped or subjected to other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence. But also people who need prolonged specialised home medical support and those suffering temporary disability and, lastly, families with children. Ours is a project contemplating a structured process of integration into the social fabric," De Filippis said. "The point of this integration, which takes place gradually, is that it is mutually beneficial and represents an economic opportunity for the town. The aim is to restore these people to independence, by giving them the tools and skills to become active members of Italian society," he added. A benefit to the community The project has not only brought the community back to life, but has also provided work for numerous local people, especially young graduates, and provided a future for many migrants employed in urban regeneration schemes. "Some migrants have been employed in gardening services and others are restoring public benches at carpentry workshops," Mayor Stefano Ioli Calabrò said. "We give the migrants accommodation, which is paid for by the project, and we help them to become citizens of this country through professional and linguistic training," project coordinator Angela Spagna explained. "We also provide medical and legal assistance. Theirs is a real integration that has not in any way upset the balance and tranquillity of the resident population," she added.

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