
7,000 beneficiaries from 61 countries, 50,000 free services
Thessaloniki, December 3rd, 2018
In December 2018 SolidarityNow’s Blue Refugee Center celebrates its 2 years of operation in Thessaloniki. Over this period, more than 7.000 people from 61 countries of the world had access to more than 50.000 services provided pro bono.
It is worth noting that of the 50,000 services provided pro bono, 33,500 corresponds to educational activities organized in the Center as a result of the organization’s priority to ensure the inclusion of all in education.
«Two years of hard work. Dedication, responsibility, fulfilment, satisfaction and joy, these are our staff’s feelings”, says Antigone Lyberaki, SolidarityNow’s General Manager, about the great accomplishments in just 2 years. “But the most important is that the Center celebrates 2 years of successful operation -2 years of relentless efforts, perseverance and patience, hope and dreams for a better life for the people – our beneficiaries. Ali, Fayrouz, Mohammed, Abdul, Sana are some of the people who found a job, who regained their self-esteem, believed in their abilities, learned Greek and now they are capable again of making the decisions for their life”, adds Ms Lyberaki.
The achieved results and numbers:
- 608 people attended more than 1,900 counselling sessions and have sought advice and support about work-related issues, through the Employability Service and more than 110 have found work.
- 6,758 people received support from the Social and Psychological Service while 907 people benefited from the Legal Service.
- 2,000 lessons were provided to adults and children participating in the Center’s educational program. At the same time, 130 young people (16-year-old and over) were supported by our educational teams and took examinations for the certification of attainment in the modern Greek language.
- 1,670 children have participated in the activities organized in the Child-Friendly Space.
- 1,288 mothers and children were supported by the organization’s teams in the Female Friendly Space.
A Center as a Meeting Point for Different People and Cultures
Educational courses and seminars, employability counselling, legal aid and psychosocial support, children’s/women’s and family’s space, cultural and recreational activities, place of open discussions, participation and decision-making, all these and much more comprise the SolidarityNow Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki.
The Blue Refugee Center is part of the organization’s programs in Northern Greece. It was founded in 2016 in Thessaloniki to support refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers and, in general, all those populations affected by the humanitarian crises.
SolidarityNow, through the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki, aims not only to empower refugees but also to give back to Greek society, by nurturing active citizens, creating new jobs and by bringing together diverse cultures and ideologies. In SolidarityNow we believe that together we can achieve more.
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*Blue Refugee Center is supported by (UNHCR) and UNICEF and funded by ECHO, the European Commission – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations.