Swiss-Greek Cooperation Programme 2023-2026

The Athens Solidarity Center project is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and funding from the Swiss-Greek Cooperation Programme in Greece (Embassy of Switzerland in Greece), for three years starting August 1st, 2023.

The combined effects of the project activities will work towards two outcomes:

Managing migration and supporting integration
Strengthening social systems

Which will in turn lead towards the project impact:

Economic and social disparities reduced, and migration management strengthened.

The project aims to support 6.400 individuals, mainly asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants, empowering them to become active and productive members of society.

The Project

The project supports the operation of the Athens Solidarity Center with some services also offered in Thessaloniki.

The total budget amounts to EUR 2.422.859,97.

The services offered are:

Social Service: Carries out individual sessions (for info provision and empowerment), preparing documentation to support and enable requests such as accommodation applications, asylum registrations, child protection cases, Best Interest Assessments (BIAs) for Family Reunification cases and access to social benefits. (Offered in Athens)
Psychological Service: Ensures the right to access to quality mental health care through the provision of individual and group counselling. (Offered in Athens)
Legal Service: Offers legal consultation, mediation, and court representation across for a wide range of cases including asylum / migration, labour, civil and penal law as well as support with legal administrative issues. The Legal service collaborates closely with the Asylum Service for vulnerable individuals, based in the Athens Solidarity Center. (Offered in Athens and Thessaloniki)
Employability Service: Supports individuals who are looking to re-/integrate into the labour market, through informing them about labour rights preparing a CV, searching for work, prepare for interviews, and accessing national employment programs and skills development opportunities. (Offered in Athens)
Accounting Service: Provides access to welfare benefits, supports the submission of tax declarations and advisory on tax issues, issuance of unemployment cards and transportation cards, supporting beneficiaries to overcome administrative and integration challenges. (Offered in Athens)

The holistic nature of the services provided allows SolidarityNow to address the needs of individuals in their entirety, while the excellent and long-standing collaborations established with other stakeholders (Municipality of Athens, CSOs and international organizations, refugee and migrant communities and others) enhance and strengthen the impact of the services provided.

The work carried out by this project and the relevant awareness material is published on this web page and complementarily promoted via SolidarityNow’s main communication channels (website, e-newsletters, and social media pages).

Opening Event

2.11.2023 | The opening event to present the support provided to the Athens Solidarity Center by the Swiss-Greek Cooperation Programme took place in the Center’s premises. The event was honoured by the presence of Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Head of the Department of Justice and Police in Switzerland, Dimitris Kairidis, Minister of Migration and Asylum in Greece, Stefan Estermann, Ambassador of Switzerland in Greece and Kostas Bakoyannis, ex-Mayor of Athens. The event’s agenda here.

Final Event: From Solidarity to Impact

1.7.2026 | An event was held at the Athens Solidarity Center to mark the completion of funding under the Swiss–Greek Cooperation Programme for the period August 2023 – July 2026, in an atmosphere of collaboration and constructive dialogue. The event was honoured by the presence of the Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum, Ms Sevi Voloudaki, while stories, data, and results were presented, highlighting the social impact of the Center and its contribution to supporting people in vulnerable conditions. The event was also addressed by Ms Konstantina Papakosta, Secretary General for Migration Policy; Mr Heracles Moskoff, Secretary General for Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum; Ms Aita Pult, Deputy Head of Mission & Chargée d’Affaires of the Embassy of Switzerland in Greece; and Ms Mina Fountzoula, Deputy Mayor of Athens for Social Solidarity and Urban Fauna & Animal Welfare. The event’s agenda here.

Video

A video filled with stories, facts and results that showcase the Center’s social impact and its contribution to supporting the most vulnerable groups. Since 2014, the Athens Solidarity Center has been continuously standing alongside people in vulnerable situations, providing free social welfare, legal and psychosocial support, employment counselling and accounting guidance, without discrimination.

Over the three-year period of funding from the Swiss–Greek Cooperation Programme (August 2023–July 2026), a total of 10,351 people benefited from the Centre’s services.

Refugee Integration at the Heart of the Swiss State Secretary for Migration’s Visit to Athens

13.10.2025 | Switzerland’s State Secretary for Migration, Vincenzo Mascioli, conducted a working visit to Greece to observe firsthand the progress of projects implemented under the Swiss–Greek Cooperation Programme. His first stop was at the Athens Solidarity Center of SolidarityNow, where he was welcomed by the Founder & President, Stelios Zavvos, and the General Manager, Marilyn Polena.

At the Center, Mr. Mascioli was briefed by the team of experts on the importance of providing targeted services to asylum seekers and refugees, which facilitate their integration into Greek society, as well as the significant outcomes of each service provided.