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On 11 May 2016, an agreement was signed in the FAO headquarters in Rome for the construction of the first “Home for Peace”, marking the first step of an initiative for refugees launched by the actress and human rights activist Sharon Stone in September 2015, during her visit to the Foundation. This innovative project, designed by architect Mario Cucinella, was a free gift to Nobel laureate Betty Williams’ World Centre of Compassion for Children and will be implemented by City of Peace for Children Foundation Basilicata entirely through the private resources of two far-sighted entrepreneurs Nicola Benedetto, President of BBC Srl, and Pasquale Natuzzi, President of the Natuzzi Group. Their companies are among the most important in Basilicata and have distinguished themselves by the attention they have always given to issues of corporate social responsibility. The Cucinella studio has designed the prototype of a low-cost environmentally friendly house with high quality living conditions that can serve as a model for areas where the reception of refugees is already a structural phenomenon of our time. The building, shaped like the wings of a butterfly and incorporating innovative energy-saving technologies, contains three independent housing units to accommodate three families forced to flee their homes due to persecution or violence. |