KarunaNews Story

The village of Camini, Italy, is experiencing a resurgence after decades of losing citizens to Italy's northern regions. The village was down to 300 residents, and many houses in the historic center had been abandoned; there were no bars, restaurants, schools or cash machines and barely any Internet. That began to change in 2011, when the town decided to market itself as a hub for resettling refugees. A cooperative organized a systematic approach to attracting refugees to the village. Refugees were offered refurbished housing, free classes in the Italian language, ceramics, carpentry, Italian and Syrian cuisine, among other subjects. In the vineyards and olive groves, refugees learned how to produce the region's famous oils and wines. The village is up to 726 residents and growing. The effort has not just given grateful refugees a new home, it has brought new life to Camini.