Rocchetta Sant'Antonio: A migrant integration center is being built in a former slaughterhouse.

From a former slaughterhouse in a state of complete disrepair and abandonment to a social hub, the creation of a multipurpose center will provide services for the social and occupational integration of migrants within the local community of Rocchetta. The Center was created to provide a space for dialogue, meetings, and relationships with the local community. It aims to strengthen the integrated migrant reception network within the SAI (Reception and Integration System) project, which the Municipality of Rocchetta Sant'Antonio has managed since 2016, providing support for twenty ordinary beneficiaries. The goal is to raise community awareness on the issue of reception, combat potential forms of discrimination, and improve the social inclusion of foreign citizens residing in the area.

"The Center creates a network within our communities, with the aim of raising awareness on the issue of hospitality and improving the social inclusion of foreign citizens residing in the area," said Pompeo Circiello , Mayor of Rocchetta Sant'Antonio. "The building long housed the municipal slaughterhouse, established in the 1960s, which operated until the 1980s. Then, for various reasons, it fell into complete disuse, eventually becoming an open-air landfill, where waste was disposed of in an unhealthy manner. Through the PON Legalità 2014/2020 project launched by the previous municipal administration," Circiello continued, "we obtained €500,000 in funding, which allowed us to renovate and redevelop the facility for social purposes, enabling us to strengthen the SAI service in our community and foster a greater awareness of hospitality."

The inaugural conference, organized by the Oltre la rete di imprese consortium, was attended by Mohammed Elmajdi, Territorial Secretary of CISL Foggia; Maria Iossa , SAI Project Manager for the Municipality of Rocchetta Sant'Antonio – Aladino Social Cooperative; Caterina Inglese , SAI Project Coordinator for the Municipality of Rocchetta Sant'Antonio – Aladino Social Cooperative; and Anna Caprarella , Designer/Director of the renovation of the former slaughterhouse. Currently, 13 beneficiaries of the SAI (Welcome and Integration System) Project in the Rocchetta area are in attendance. Most of them are in school, some are also obtaining their driving licenses, and training internships will soon be available to introduce foreign guests to the world of work. Some of them have found work in a local carpentry shop and dairy farm.

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