Anton Paar welcomes 40 refugees
Anton Paar says 'come in' to unaccompanied underage refugees and provides a house for them at the company's headquarters in Graz-Strassgang
High tech measuring instruments company Anton Paar is saying 'come in' to unaccompanied underage refugees and providing a house for them at the company's headquarters in Graz-Strassgang. The company alpha nova will run the refugee shelter at Anton Paar and provide support for the young people, who are predominantly fleeing from Syria and Afghanistan without parents or other family members.
alpha nova is a not-for-profit social service company operating in Graz, the areas surrounding Graz, Deutschlandsberg, Leibnitz and other parts of Styria since 1992. The employees of "alpha nova" support people in every phase of their life and in all areas of life. It has had a partnership with Anton Paar for 12 years and runs a work integration project, currently for seven handicapped people.
'The extent of the misery and hopelessness which we see right on our doorstep has affected us deeply. We do not want to just take part in discussions but help - specifically and quickly. That's why we are saying "come in" and "welcome" to 40 young people who have come to Austria alone and are applying for asylum here,' explains Maria Santner, authorised signatory at Anton Paar and a representative of the owners.
For example, due to the increasing need for childcare, the company's own kindergarten and nursery is being expanded to care for up to 78 kindergarten children, twice as many as currently possible.
The current situation with refugees has spurred the measuring technology company into action. 'Due to the great work of our employees we have had a good business year. That makes it possible to expand the premises in Graz and create additional workplaces - and also make a further contribution to our society,' said Friedrich Santner, CEO of Anton Paar.
'The subject of underage and unaccompanied refugees represents a great challenge and requires action. These are people with names and faces and we don't want to just sit back and watch while this humanitarian catastrophe unfolds.'
Having shelter and the essentials to survive are basic human rights. Providing refugees with these basics is a first necessary step. The defined legal daily allowance per refugee allows only the most basic of provision but this is not enough. In this project, Anton Paar covers all the costs for the house, which will be called 'come in', and allows alpha nova to work there rent-free. The money that alpha nova saves due to this will be used to look after the refugees properly.
These unaccompanied underage refugees will be looked after 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The 'come in' team from alpha nova will organise German courses and free time activities. It will actively help the refugees to adapt to the new surroundings, introduce them to our culture and show them how to look after themselves independently. Talks have been held with nearby schools. There will be psychological support to help the children and youngsters process the traumatic experiences of war and their journey to Europe as well as the months of separation from parents and family.
'We will try to provide the children and youngsters with an environment in which they feel safe. We want to give them skills which they can use in the future and help them lead a self-determined and independent life. "come in" is a project which will hopefully have many successors,' says alpha nova's Andrea Prieschl, the house manager of "come in".
