In the Puy-de-Dôme, a lush and verdant region with dormant volcanoes in the heart of France, lies Pessat-Villeneuve, a peaceful village of 600 inhabitants. So far, nothing extraordinary. There are dozens of communities like these in the French countryside. Yet this one is different because more than 10 percent of its inhabitants are refugees, who are living around the 17th century castle that serves as the town hall.

It all started in 2015, when the mayor of Pessat-Villeneuve, Gérard Dubois, saw the images of Aylan, the Syrian boy who drowned and was found face down on a Turkish beach. "It felt like a kick in the stomach. I had to do something," he tells CGTN Europe. It so happened that the town just bought the park around the castle, with several vacant holiday homes – a perfect place for refugees. A week later, the local council decided to open its doors to Syrian refugees. However, not everyone was happy with the decision and some of the villagers reacted violently. "The walls here were tagged with slogans, I received death threats and was put under police protection," says Dubois.

The refugees who arrive in Pessat-Villeneuve received their refugee status in camps in the African nations of Sudan or Chad. They are then flown to France without having to make the dangerous trip over land and sea. Some of them were even born in those camps. When they arrive at the picturesque castle in Pessat-Villeneuve, they are taken care of by workers from the non-government organization CeCler. During the first couple of days, they can rest. Some have a hard time realizing they are finally safe.

"We take care of medical treatments and administrative procedures and the schooling of the children," says Anna Guériot of CeCler. "The parents have to follow a number of hours of French classes, at the local school, which is just opposite our center."

After four months, the refugees have to leave the castle. CeCler finds housing for them in the region and, in many cases, a job as well. A group of volunteers makes sure the refugees are kept busy. They teach them gardening, take them to the theater, or to the supermarket, to teach them simple things such as how to buy groceries in France, or how to ride a bicycle. The program is so successful that Pessat-Villeneuve is now regularly cited by the UN Refugee Agency as an example of how to help refugees integrate.

In the four years Pessat-Villeneuve has been helping refugees, the villagers have grown accustomed to the new faces. Some people are still opposed to them, but the adverse reactions never changed the mayor's mind. On the contrary: "We know that not everybody accepts it, but we'll see. They are here now, and they will stay," says Dubois.