First refugees arrive in tiny Catalan villages under repopulation plan

Orwa Skafe now lives in Tírvia, 900 metres up in the Pyrenees under the resettlement scheme, which aims to give participants language skills and independence. Photograph: Orwa Skafe

It’s been a long journey since Orwa Skafe fled the war in Syria seven years ago but thanks to an innovative resettlement scheme he’s found peace in a tiny village 900 metres (3,000ft) up in the Pyrenees. He is one of the first to benefit from a Catalan government programme to relocate refugees in depopulated villages.

The programme, called Operation 500 because it involves villages with fewer than 500 inhabitants, is being run jointly by the regional employment agency, the equality commission and the Association of Micro-villages.