Migration crisis: when Italian families open their doors

There are various projects in Italy to host and support asylum seekers and refugees. In some cases they involve entire families, and the experience becomes a life-changing experience both for the host families and the people hosted.

Mamadou with his Italian family: "Here we are at 2,371 m above Mombarone, after an hour walk" Source: Courtesy of Mamadou Sissoku

Claudia Tortello, from the Biella province, has hosted Mamadou Sissoku, a young man who comes from Mali. Claudia met him at a refugee centre, where her daughter Lara taught Italian.

Mamadou has been living with them for 5 years, and Claudia regards him as a son.

If Claudia has found in Mamadou a son, Mamadou feels he has found a new family.

"Now I have four parents, two white and two black"

Mamadou's story is similar to the story of many young Africans: born in a very poor family of farmers, he left his country aged 17 to go to Libya and improve his skills as a tiler, a job he had learnt in Bamako, Mali's capital city.

When in 2011 he decided it was time for him to go back to his village, the war broke out in Libya precipitating the whole country into chaos. Mamadou suddenly found himself unable to renew his documents to return to Mali and stranded in Libya, where Gaddafi's men tried to recruit him. Mamadou refused to join them and was then forced to board a vessel with hundreds of other people, terrified and without knowing where he was going. This is his story (told in Italian).

To learn more about the project "ProTetto. Rifugiato a casa mia" you can listen to our interview (in Italian) with Daniele Albanese, from Caritas.

These are some photos of Mamadou.