Research

Humanitarian Corridor Initiative

Humanitarian Corridor Initiative
Grant Year
2018-2022

Thousands of refugees and migrants risk their lives each year crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. A “humanitarian corridor” initiative, started following an agreement signed by the Italian government and several religious and non-governmental organizations, is providing a small number of refugees with safe travel and visas to Italy, along with housing and resettlement assistance upon arrival. 

The Ford Program is evaluating the effects of the program, which is bringing 500 Eritrean, South Sudanese, and Somali refugees – most living in Ethiopian camps – to Italy, where they will live with an Italian host family for at least one year. Ford, in partnership with Caritas Italy and the Community of Sant’Egidio, will assess their integration into the country from the viewpoint of both the refugees and members of their Italian host communities by collecting their narratives over a five-year period. 

The study will examine the refugees’ experiences, beginning with their departure from Ethiopia to their arrival in Italy, and evaluate whether the humanitarian corridor effort could serve as a model for migrant integration and inclusion in Europe. It will also seek to understand how religion affects both European attitudes toward migrants and migrant attitudes toward host societies.  

For progress and updates on this project, please see the HumanLines website, which chronicles the experiences of refugees involved in the Humanitarian Cooridors Project.

Partners: Caritas Italy, Community of Sant’Egidio, ICMC Europe, Universidad Sede Sapientiae (Peru)

Media Rleated to This Project:

HumanLines Website  – a “web documentary” site that captures and narrates authentic refugees’ experiences in the Humanitarian Cooridors Project