Siena, eight Pakistanis welcomed in the Caritas center in Arbia. Rotary Club donates ten cots – Corriere di Siena
From Tuesday 6 December the Caritas of Siena hosts 8 Pakistani refugees (and later two more will be added) in its ad structure Arbia. To achieve this result, the donation of the Rotary Clubs of Siena, who bought ten cots that will be used in the Caritas building. However, the issue, which has been at the center of the city’s news for months, has not been resolved. Right now in Siena there are between 80 and 90 Pakistani refugees and many of them are still sleeping in the railway station area. Since yesterday evening, however, 8 have found accommodation and hospitality in Arbia.
The idea of the tensile structure, a solution that had been hypothesized and proposed a few weeks ago, has not found a realisation. In fact, bad weather and rain do not recommend a possibility of this type, at least in the winter months. Of course, the Cas road remains, the extraordinary reception center. However, the announcement issued and published by Prefecture in July to create new structures has not yet found any answers. When five months have already passed since the beginning of this research. And then Caritas intervenes, which with the help and support of Rotary Siena manages to host 8 of these people.
“What we make available is an absolutely suitable room because it has independent heating, showers and toilets – underlines the coordinator of Caritas of Siena, Anna Ferretti. – It is not a structure in the historic city centre, however it seemed to us an optimal solution to host these people given the winter, the colder temperatures, the rain and given the precariousness of life inside the station garage”.
Ferretti again: “The prospects for the coming months are all directed towards the search for a Cas, with the hope that this structure can be opened and therefore can accommodate many people. This is the hope, because what so many Pakistanis and Afghans are doing now is not life. The Sienese community has once again shown solidarity, but if the public body does not intervene, it will certainly be difficult to continue”.
Duccio Panti, president of Rotary Siena, explains how the idea of the donation came about: “We – he says – always try to help people in difficulty. When we came up with the Pakistani issue, one of our associates came forward and said he would like to donate. Those resources, together with others that have been put in by the club, have been used to buy the camp beds”.
The partner mentioned by Duccio Panti is Piero Giadrossi, this is the name of the benefactor. That yesterday morning he was present at the moment of the donation together with Panti, Ferretti, the master of ceremonies of the Rotary Siena Sabina D’Angelo and the past president Mauro Picchi.
Panti again: “We will not stop at this – are his words – because other donations and new projects are already being studied. Let’s think, for example, of buying some stoves that can help in the coldest months of the year. We have also given Caritas availability for new donations because thanks to the generosity of our members we have also raised other funds. Rotary is present in all emergencies and needs”.