“The processing time for asylum applications are often long. Applicants have presented us with the wishes to do something meaningful in the meantime. We chose people who we believe are best suited to this task,” said the director of the Kotka reception centre Lotta Knuuttila.
The volunteers will assist the elderly with, among other things, walking and activity sessions. Nursing home staff will work alongside the volunteers at all times.
The reception centre will remunerate the volunteers with travel tickets and meals in the nursing home. The volunteers are to visit the nursing home three times a week.
The friendship volunteer program is scheduled to expand to other nursing homes in Kotka.
