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It’s been a protracted journey since Orwa Skafe fled the conflict in Syria seven years in the past however due to an progressive resettlement scheme he’s discovered peace in a tiny village 900 metres (3,000ft) up within the Pyrenees. He is likely one of the first to learn from a Catalan authorities programme to relocate refugees in depopulated villages.
The programme, known as Operation 500 as a result of it includes villages with fewer than 500 inhabitants, is being run collectively by the regional employment company, the equality fee and the Affiliation of Micro-villages.
The scheme, which runs for one 12 months, supplies individuals with a house and a wage of €19,434 (£16,700) paid by way of the native authority, which additionally organises work for them. The programme is open to refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants who’re authorized residents.
Up to now, 30 households have been accommodated, 24 of them refugees.
“Up until now the system of coping with refugees has been very centralised and targeted on main cities,” stated Oriol López Plana, a facilitator on the Affiliation of Micro-villages, which helps individuals combine, study the language and grow to be impartial.
“The programme goals to combine individuals in villages the place there’s a social community after which, in the event that they wish to transfer to town, they will.
“There’s an identical system in France. The distinction right here is we create a social material, we run mentoring and communitarian programmes, in each the work and social spheres.”
Skafe, who comes from the coastal city of Latakia the place he labored as an English trainer, left Syria in 2015 and went to Haiti as a result of, he says, it was the one place he may go to legally.
“It turned out that Haiti is much more harmful than Syria,” he stated, so he made his solution to Spain and arrived in Barcelona in January this 12 months. A month later he was granted asylum.
He now lives in Tírvia, a distant, mountaintop village of 130 souls near the border with France, though Skafe says in actuality the inhabitants is extra like 50. He’s employed by the native authority doing upkeep and cleansing.
“I’m very completely happy right here,” he stated, freely mixing Spanish and English. “What I need most of all is peace. I like Barcelona however there are too many individuals. I like nature, which is why I wished to hitch this programme.
“I’m studying Catalan, poc a poc [little by little]. Everybody within the village is Catalan. I’m the one foreigner. I don’t perceive a lot however I’m affected person and I’m not afraid to study new languages.
“Persons are very welcoming, everybody talks to me, they provide me assist or to do my buying. That’s the case for 90%. In fact, there are all the time individuals who don’t like strangers.”
He hopes that his spouse and little one, who’re nonetheless in Syria, will be capable of be a part of him as soon as he obtains a residency allow, however sees no prospect of returning to Syria.
“I wish to keep within the village when the programme ends and I need my household to reside right here with me. I’m going to work onerous to remain right here.”
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