Leathergoods initiative offers support for refugees in Italy
14/12/2017
The organisation is responsible for overseeing a European Union-funded leather skills project in the town of Lama Di Reno, in the province of Bologna. It is currently looking after around 400 newly-arrived refugees, some of whom are fleeing war-torn countries.
A total of 15 refugees have recently completed their training, including Bassirou, who is originally from Burkina Faso. He arrived in Italy in March 2016 after four months in a forced labour camp in Libya.
After completing his 15-month apprenticeship, he became the first employee of a small leather handbag startup established with the intention of allowing the initiative to sustain itself.
“It is a great opportunity,” Bassirou has said. “I had done a bit of cutting and sewing back home, but that was with cloth, not leather. It wasn’t easy at the start, every little thing seemed difficult, but after a certain point, you get the hang of it.”
Another 18 refugees have now commenced their training with the help of Lai-Momo, which hopes to give them the skills to build a new life for themselves in Italy should their asylum applications be successful.
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