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Portugal becomes first European country to sign up to receive unaccompanied child refugees

Portugal has become the first European country to align itself to a Greek NGO seeking adoptive countries for unaccompanied minors that by dint of their lack of family members do not qualify for official refugee placement programmes.

According to TSF radio, Portugal has already taken in five young Afghans as a result of its cooperation with METAdrasi.

The initiative is not covered by European funding.

Talking to TSF, Ana Rodrigues of the national federation of institutions of solidarity explained that the money required to help unaccompanied minors is being raised by METAdrasi in Greece.

METAdrasi’s initiative grew from “realisation on the ground” that the plan to offer residencies to refugees in European countries completely ignored the issue of children who had arrived in camps under their own steam, with no apparent relatives or support.

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