Andorra, too, joins the countries welcoming refugees who have arrived with the Humanitarian Corridors. The small country has in fact welcomed a family from Syria, consisting of four adults and two children, to its capital – Andorra la Vella.
Having fled twelve years of war – more than the age of the two children – and the recent worsening of the situation in Syria, the family was able to reach Andorra thanks to the mediation of Sant’Egidio, which helped the group to arrive first in Lebanon – where they stayed for 48 hours – and then in Madrid, from where, after visiting the city, they left for Andorra.
Here, the family will be welcomed by civil society, as part of the Protocol signed in 2018, which allows the arrival of refugees in fragile conditions. The Principality of Andorra is in charge of hospitality and basic services, while the Community of Sant’Egidio provides training for those in charge of the assistance network and, more generally, the integration of refugees into local society.
The family, composed of an architect and a pharmacist, will now have the chance to rebuild their lives after the war and will be able to count on the support of Sant’Egidio’s volunteers, who will help them with job placement, language learning and schooling for the two minors.
Even in the small country of Andorra, humanitarian corridors represent a chance for rebirth, with the hope that this model can soon be replicated in many other countries in Europe.