Alexandra: Everything went smoothly, almost smoothly, until one day we heard this tongue twister: a coronavirus, that emerged in Wuhan. At first there were a lot of jokes about the virus, but none of us understood the importance of the situation. Despite the cancellation of the carnival events in Patras, many people took the risk […]
The COVID-19 period and the security measures we have adopted have changed the way we live and the way we have worked so far. The conditions have become even more difficult in areas that were under quarantine. One such area is the Malakasa Open Accommodation Center, one of the camps where SolidarityNow operates and currently […]
The negative impact of this crisis continues to be counted daily in human lives and translated into pause, loneliness, people without any social or economic protection network. Fear usually overwhelms us and overshadows everything positive. It becomes clear to us every day what separates us: 2 meters distance, a face mask and a pair of […]
Since April 2, when some of our beneficiaries were tested positive for COVID-19, the situation at Ritsona camp, where I work, has changed radically. Police cars and police teams were patrolling the camp’s entrance. The beneficiaries, now excluded from any service, were in greater need than ever. We continued our presence at the camp, responding […]
Many things have changed during this crisis. All the important activities in the field of labor market and education were “frozen” or suspended. An immediate priority in the Employability Service at the SolidarityNow’s Athens Solidarity Center, was the adjustment to the new reality as to continue being on the side of our beneficiaries; and most […]
Working as a psychologist at the Athens Solidarity Center, every day I challenge myself through people’s different and usually, harsh stories. Stories of people facing the effects of poverty, the anxiety of unemployment, the uncertainty of migration, the effects of fear caused by the experience of war or persecution. I often tell people that if […]
An Afghan man who managed to collect his documents and take asylum in Greece; a woman, victim of gender-based violence who found the strength to support other women of her community; a long-term unemployed who found a job; an unaccompanied minor who was taken to the hospital and received medical treatment. But who are the […]
Αthanasia Papiggi, Student Group Coordinator STARTnow A few months ago, none of us would believe someone saying that we would be forced to stay home for a long time. We would say that all this is a bad joke. But COVID-19 changed our lives and the bad joke became reality. After the first shock, we […]
