Maltese families host migrants at home in MOAS pilot project

The international rescue charity MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) has launched a family hosting pilot project, through which Maltese families can offer to host refugees and asylum seekers at their home.

MOAS has provided rescue and humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable people around the world since being founded in 2013 in the midst of the Mediterranean migration crisis.

Rescued migrants in Malta are placed into detention and always the subject of a removal order, but can obtain a stay on removal when filing a claim for asylum. Once migrants are out of the government reception centres, they often face financial and housing instability that also bars them from improving their education.Through the Family Hosting project, MOAS will be assisting and mentoring families that decide to host migrants in their home.

As part of the pilot launch, a young family with two children has been hosting a 21-year-old asylum seeker from South Sudan, for several months. He lives as a member of the family, receiving room and board, and in return he helps with daily chores and volunteers with MOAS.

MOAS conducts regular meetings with both parties, providing support, guidance and mediation as needed, in order to evaluate how the project is progressing.

Welcoming a refugee person at home is the right way towards a more open and inclusive society, a way to overcome prejudices and mistrust,” Regina Catrambone, co-founder and director of MOAS said. “It is an enrichment always arises from the encounter between two often distant worlds, both from a human and cultural point of view.”