Troy L. Milliron 
ROME, ITALY – MARCH 14: Children from schools in the region take part in ‘Yes to peace, no to … [+]
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Yesterday, children and staff from a primary school in Naples, Italy, turned out in droves to welcome Ukrainian refugee children who arrived for their first day.
The moving welcome was captured in a video which shows hundreds of students and teachers gathered in the entrance hall of the Don Milani institute. Numbering more than 200, they also lined the stairs and first-floor balcony to cheer and cheer as the two new children nervously entered the building.
Some of the Italian children waved Ukrainian flags or peace flags. Two students then chaperoned the new arrivals, locally named siblings Dmitri, 10, and Victoria, eight, in their respective classrooms. This moving moment has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media.
Hundreds of Ukrainian citizens, especially women and children, joined a procession from Central … [+]
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More than 2.2 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the Russian invasion on February 24. About 35,000 arrived in Italy, a country that had one of the largest Ukrainian communities in Europe before the conflict began.
Throughout Italy, there are dozens of initiatives to help incoming refugees. In the Puglia region of southern Italy, the municipality of Troia provides accommodation and boarding for Ukrainian refugees who have family living in the area.
A small village in the northeast Veneto region has banded together to rent an empty property to arriving refugees. Resident Ketty Cummins says, “Each of us offered help, whether it was clothing, food, assistance, transportation, support or whatever they needed. These people are tired, exhausted and all they need is to rest in a safe place”.
The Veneto region has set up an online form for anyone wishing to offer accommodation to refugees. At the launch of the system, regional president Luca Zaia said: “To be effective, the reception effort must be organized”, and added that the inhabitants of the region “have a big heart and a generosity that knows no no limits”.
Ukrainian citizens and supporters demonstrate against the war in Ukraine, in Rome, Italy, March 13 … [+]
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Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said property confiscated by the mafia could be used to provide accommodation for incoming refugees. Former nursing homes, former hospitals and buildings previously used as COVID hotels will also be redeveloped.
The country has also ensured that refugees have access to health care. Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa said on Monday: “We are providing them with health care, obviously making vaccines available to them, not only against COVID-19, but also against measles and poliomyelitis.” . The Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin is treating several Ukrainian children with cancer while a one-year-old Ukrainian girl is currently at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in the pediatric oncology department.
