Refugee community center set to open on Lesvos

Just a 10-minute walk from the municipal-run camp of Kara Tepe and a bit over a half-hour from the Moria migrant camp north of Mytilene, the capital of Lesvos, a community center currently under construction on a 1.5-acre site aspires to become a magnet for individuals stranded on the eastern Aegean island by offering a wide range of activities.

Run by the Swiss Cross charity, the center, which is set to open in the coming days, was built by migrants with the help of volunteers who arrived here from different parts of Europe. The project is called "One Happy Family."

The facility will provide a coffee shop (complete with nargile), a home cinema, a library and a garden. The O Allos Anthropos (Fellow Man) group has agreed to provide about 1,000 servings of food. The entire project will cost 200,000 euros, which includes rent for the first 12 months.

"The Swiss...