There are blankets on the beds, t-shirts and tracksuits stacked in the wardrobes, supplies in the kitchen, the dog Cracco who runs like a king among the lawns and the stone-paved courtyard. In the glass porch, which has been restored a little, there is a long wooden table for organizing recreational activities. All around, seven hectares of greenery.
Among the hills of Valgera, a stone’s throw from the city, inside Cascina Lissona, a former farmhouse with swimming pool surrounded by woods, a reception center for unaccompanied foreign minors will soon be built. Everything is ready to accommodate up to 25 kids. The structure will be managed by the Fenice cooperative, the same one that has been managing the Castagnole Monferrato center for a few months. The project received the green light from the prefecture and municipality. «We are finishing the finishing touches on the premises: all the routine checks have been done, the rooms are set up, after which we can start with the welcome program» says the manager of the cooperative, Stefano Rigoli.
The project was monitored directly by the prefect Claudio Ventrice. «The structure – explains Ventrice – is very beautiful, I think I can say that in other provinces there are no centers for unaccompanied minors comparable to the one that will be built in Valgera. There are large spaces and comfortable rooms. Thanks to this center we will be able to improve our offer of available places to absorb the flows of young migrants.” There are currently over 900 stramieri hosted in the province, distributed in various municipalities. Among these, 18 are unaccompanied minors, mostly accommodated in the Castagnole house, under the supervision of educators and interpreters. Today those kids follow school courses, learn Italian, follow an integration plan. «We want to create a path that offers them opportunities for the future. At the moment the results are satisfactory” says Rigoli.
The Valgera tourist complex, closed for some time, was taken over by the Fenice cooperative with a spending commitment spread over several years. An initiative that aims to reach a higher level of hospitality. The kids will be accommodated in the rooms of the former farmhouse, some with bunk beds. On the ground floor common areas: a large kitchen and the porch. «In reality – adds Rigoli – this place allows us to hypothesize a more complex and ambitious reception plan, to combine hospitality and training courses. We plan to create an educational farm and professional laboratories for aspiring bricklayers, bakers and mechanics.”
There is no shortage of space: land and a forest. At the entrance to the property there is a warehouse and an abandoned room, once a restaurant. «We plan to involve entrepreneurs, farmers and artisans in this project. By creating a synergy with the productive fabric, we could become a training center to help companies find qualified personnel.” The conditions of the structure are good. The laboratory shed needs maintenance.
The happiest is the dog Cracco who has always lived there. The owners of the complex, with the sale of the properties, preferred to entrust it to the care of the cooperative. He will be the one to welcome the kids arriving on boats across the Mediterranean or following the new ocean route to the coasts of Spain.
