Teaching mathematics in a multicultural scholastic context is a current research theme in countries where the phenomenon of immigration is becoming important. There is a project being carried out in some southern European countries which aims to identify the needs of maths teachers in the lower secondary schools. The theoretical framework of the project is ethnomathematics and mathematics education in multicultural contexts. Bearing in mind the needs expressed by the maths teachers and the problems pointed out by them, three extensive didactic proposals have been prepared based on the activities of craftsmen in those countries with the highest percentage of emigration towards the South of Europe. In the final part of this article some of the initial indications following the introduction of one of these proposals into some Italian schools are briefly described. (Contains 1 footnote and 3 tables.) [For complete proceedings, see ED500859.]