Category: HOMEPAGE

PRESS RELEASE: Participation in the “Seller for an hour” action by Shedia street magazine

Posted on Thursday February 9th, 2023
Yiannis Boutaris, BoD member of SolidarityNow and former Mayor of Thessaloniki, became a 'Shedia' ambassador last year in the streets of Thessaloniki

Solidarity Now, believing in the value and power of solidarity, stands dynamically by the side of the street magazine “Shedia” sellers in Athens and Thessaloniki. On February 9-11, SolidarityNow employees become “Sellers for an hour”, aiming to inform and raise awareness about the magazine’s work and the tangible support of the “man-seller” who fights for a better life.

In Athens, on Thursday, February 9th at 13.00, SolidarityNow workers will wear the red vests at the Evangelismos metro station, while in Thessaloniki, on Saturday, February 11th at 12.00, SolidarityNow will be with the seller of “Shedia” at the Tsimiski & Dimitriou Gounari street.

“Shedia” was first released on the streets of Athens in February 2013, the year that Solidarity Now was founded. Ten years later, Solidarity Now employees celebrate on the street with people of “Shedia”, hope, solidarity, and humanity.

We are waiting for you in Athens and Thessaloniki, to send together a message against poverty and social exclusion.

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT | SolidarityNow: Humanitarian Aid to the victims of the disastrous earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

Posted on Tuesday February 7th, 2023
Search and rescue efforts continue in the wreckage of the destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Photograph: Tolga Ildun/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

At this time of the unprecedented tragedy for our fellow human beings in Turkey and Syria, SolidarityNow, based on the universal value of solidarity, stands by the side of all those experiencing the loss and tragic consequences of the devastating earthquake.

SolidarityNow is already planning the transfer of humanitarian aid to the affected areas. As a first step, the organization’s experienced staff in crisis management will be directly in the field and will collaborate with local authorities and other organizations. Through this initiative and collective effort, the goal is to provide immediate and effective care and support to survivors and those in need.

“In the wake of these tragic events, we must act with all our strength. We must stand next to our fellow human beings who experience loss and the terrible consequences of a tremendous natural disaster, making solidarity a reality and commitment”, Stelios Zavvos, Chairman.

Support our effort by making a donation.

PRESS RELEASE: Completion of the Transnational Workshops for the Unaccompanied Minors by SolidarityNow & The Special Secretariat for the Protection of the Unaccompanied Minors

Posted on Wednesday February 1st, 2023
(from the left) Marilyn Polena, General Manager SolidarityNow, Fay Koutzoukou, Deputy General Manager SolidarityNow

“Building Futures, Sharing Good Practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood”

The Transnational Workshops for the Unaccompanied Minors by SolidarityNow & The Special Secretariat for the Protection of the Unaccompanied Minors are completed

Two Transnational Workshops were implemented on January 30 and 31st , in Athens, the first by the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors (SSPUAM) of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, through the Integration and Support Unit, and the second by SolidarityNow, partners of the project “Building Futures, Sharing good practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood (UACFutures)”.

The workshops were honored with the presence of representatives of the Council of Europe, including Mr. Christos Giakoumopoulos, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the academic field, as well as representatives of international and local organizations that are active in human rights and child protection issues.

The workshops strengthened the fruitful exchange of views and good practices, to promote long-term improvements in the quality of support of unaccompanied minors during their transition to adulthood at the European level, through the experiences and examples of Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Serbia, Cyprus, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Luxembourg.

During the workshops, key topics included vocational training and access to labor, the safeguarding of fundamental rights as well as general mental health issues of the unaccompanied children who turn 18. An additional topic was dedicated to the Institution of the Commission by the Institutional Protection Unit of the SSPUAM. A representative of the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) made a presentation on this topic focusing on the developments of guardianship systems in EU countries since 2014. Representatives of the partner organization Stitching NIDOS from the Netherlands presented the guardianship and foster care system in their country.

Discussions highlighted the importance of taking more initiatives for the care of children coming of age in Europe and the need to extend the protection framework after the 18-year-old milestone to make the transition to working life and independent living, smoother.

In the context of the event, the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Mr. Heracles Moskoff, in his speech underlined “It is a top priority for us to ensure the continuation of support, services, and rights for unaccompanied children entering adulthood. But the most important thing is to create opportunities in education and the labor market, so that unaccompanied minors as young adults enjoy their rights equally.”

The Deputy Head of Division and Secretary to the Council of Europe, Mrs. Lilja Grétarsdóttir stressed that “Based on international and European treaties specific fundamental rights are linked to the right to life and dignity and should be enjoyed by all people who are under the jurisdiction of the Member States of the Council of Europe, irrespective of nationality and legal status.”

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Mr. Stelios Zavvos stated among others: “To date, we have supported with housing, protection, and legal services more than 800 unaccompanied children and we are present to contribute to the provision of the necessary services and supplies to children who grow up in our country, embracing their dream of a better life in Europe”.

*The project is coordinated by the Council of Europe and includes five partners, (Convive – Fundación Cepaim), the Netherlands (NIDOS, the national guardianship institution), the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors and SolidarityNow in Greece, and it is funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Council of Europe.

This press release was funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Council of Europe.

The content of this press release represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission and the Council of Europe do not accept any responsibility for the use that may be made of the information it contains.

PRESS RELEASE: 10 years SolidarityNow in action!

Posted on Tuesday January 24th, 2023
(from the left) Nikos Alivizatos, Honorary Professor of Constitutional Law-University of Athens, Dr. Jennifer Cavounidis, Member of SN BoD, Sociologist, Academic, Christos Rozakis, Honorary Professor of International Public Law, University of Athens and former Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights, Nikiforos Diamandouros, Academic and first Ombudsman in Greece, Stelios Zavvos-Chairman of the BoD SolidarityNow. Copyright Myroslava Klius

SolidarityNow, tasked with the mission to support the most vulnerable members of our society without discrimination and with faith in the value and power of solidarity, celebrated on Monday 23 January, its 10-year continuous contribution to the Greek society. The event, “10 years of Solidarity in Action”, took place at the Athens Concert Hall, which was at full capacity. The organisation was honored by the presence of distinguished guests from the intellectual, political, and business world of Greece, as well as representatives of international and local organizations that are longstanding partners of SolidarityNow.

On an evening full of emotion and excitement, the story of SolidarityNow unfolded, an organization that took its first steps back in 2013 with a vision to support the most vulnerable members of our society, and in ten years of operation counts more than 1,500 employees and 500 volunteers across the country who put solidarity into practice. Ten years afterward SolidarityNow has evolved into a living charity with measurable results for more than 350,000 people, vulnerable Greeks, unemployed, homeless, women, single-parent families, refugees, migrants, victims of gender-based violence, victims of torture, Roma children and youth, people from the LGBTQI+ community and others. To date, 98,000 people have benefited from Solidarity Centers, 6,500 asylum seekers have temporarily settled in independent homes, buildings, structures, and families in Greece, 21,000 children have received child protection services, whilst last year alone, around 5,000 children were supported to reintegrate into education or received remedial teaching.

The event about SolidarityNow’s journey into this decade was coordinated by journalist Ms. Niki Lymperaki. In the beginning, Mr. Stelios Zavvos, Chairman and Founder of SolidarityNow, welcomed the audience and spoke about the vision and work of the organization since its establishment. Introducing the next day, he stressed: “SolidarityNow is not a static organization, it goes along with society, listens to its needs, and evolves accordingly. At the beginning of our second decade, we are starting a new course, dynamic, but with our values as a constant compass. Join us, so that together we can become a catalyst for a better Greek society. Let’s all come together to continue this wonderful human endeavor.” The speakers then presented SolidarityNow’s multifaceted work, implemented in collaboration with the State, international organizations, foundations, businesses, and private donors.

During the first panel titled “Facing the challenges of today”, the members of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Mr. Nikos Alivizatos– Lawyer, Emeritus Professor of Constitutional Law at the Athens School of Law, Mr. Nikiforos Diamantouros-Academic and first Ombudsman of Greece, Mr. Christos Rozakis-Professor Emeritus of the University of Athens and Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights, set the theoretical background on which the 10-year course of the organization has been based, responding effectively and directly to the pressing social issues of our time.

This was followed by the speech of Mr. Efthymios Vidalis, Vice President of SolidarityNow, who spoke about transparency and proper management of resources, which lie at the heart of the organization’s operation.

In the second panel entitled “Civil Society and its role in addressing the needs of Greek society”, Ms. Sofia Voultepsi – Deputy Minister for Migration and Asylum, Ms. Domna Michailidou-Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens and Mr. Yiannis Boutaris, Member of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow and former Mayor of Thessaloniki, highlighted the importance of Civil Society in strengthening the state’s efforts to provide tangible support to all those in need.

During the third panel titled “The importance of international cooperation in enhancing the impact of Civil Society interventions”, the following speakers participated: Mr. Gianluca Rocco, IOM Greece Chief of Mission & Regional Response Coordinator, Lajla Brandt Jakhelln– Ambassador of Norway to Greece, Maria Clara Martin – UNHCR Representative in Greece, Dr. Jennifer Cavounidis -Member of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Sociologist, Academic, and pointed out that the only way to have a substantial impact on the lives of people in need is the cooperation of international bodies with organizations, while they also spoke about the social and economic benefits of migration for host countries, like Greece.

This was followed by a brief statement by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, who congratulated SolidarityNow on their great work, emphasized the need to continue dynamically where systems fail, and apply practical wisdom to find solutions to social challenges.

The great celebration was enriched with images and video footage bearing the signature of SolidarityNow’s 10-year operation, reflecting the pride of its people, the dignity and strength of the soul of its beneficiaries, and the commitment to the continuity of the organization.

The event evolved into an evening full of music and emotion, through the songs of singer Eleni Arapoglou and Nova Opera, refugee musicians from the Ukraine.

In closing of the event, staff, volunteers and members of the board, sang in unity the song “Imagine” by John Lenon, providing an emotional close to the wonderful evening and setting off a promise to continue their efforts to provide for those in need, with solidarity and strive for a better world.

PRESS RELEASE: Presentation of the Mosaic “Hanging by a Thread ” at the Athens Solidarity Center

Posted on Wednesday December 14th, 2022

The colorful mosaic, dedicated to Afghan women, found its “home”

SolidarityNow and the Greek organizers of a global artistic initiative under the auspices of UNESCO, presented yesterday to the public, the mosaic “Hanging by a thread”. The event for the presentation of the special colorful mosaic took place at the Athens Solidarity Center, where the project will be hosted after its donation to SolidarityNow.

The creation of this large scarf-like mosaic aims to symbolically embrace Afghan women and support the need for equal human rights. For this reason, the creators were inspired by the colorful local costumes of Afghanistan that were transformed into small works of glass mosaics. In Greece, 61 mosaic creations from 45 artists were collected and brought together by the three Greeks supervisors for the project, according to the guidelines of the inspirers and representatives of the International Project Madeleine Turgeon and Bady Essid Jaballah.

Among the creators, there are also women refugees from Afghanistan, who reside in the open accommodation structure of Thiva and are beneficiaries of the “Female Friendly Space” operated there by SolidarityNow, within the framework of the HARP program, with the support of the International Organization for Migration and the funding of the European Union.

Afghan women of all ages actively participated in yesterday’s presentation, each “guiding” the audience to its own mosaic, dancing traditional dances of their homeland and talking about their lives and dreams.

The event was honored with the presence of the organizers, Loukia Orfanou, Despina Georgiadi-Thessalonikeos and Mikelis Markidis, as well as artists who contributed to the creation of the work with their mosaics. In total, the initiative has spread to 45 countries on all continents with the participation of hundreds of voters.

*The artistic activity for the creation of the mosaics by the women beneficiaries of the “Female Friendly Space” of SolidarityNow, was carried out in collaboration with the team of the International Organization for Migration that is active in the camp of Thiva.

*Since August 2022, the Athens Solidarity Center is financed by EEA Grants, with ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360 as the fund operator, in the context of the “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” programme.

The “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” programme in Greece, financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, was awarded a total budget of 6,5 million euros as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The program aspires to contribute to enhancement of social cohesion and reduction of economic and social disparities. The Fund Operator for the “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” programme in Greece is SOL Consulting S.A in partnership with Human Rights 360. More information: https://www.asylumandmigration-eeagrants.gr/ 

**The Center is also supported by the Municipality of Athens.