When we were told “Stay Home”, our thoughts and solidarity were with those who did not have a home; with the people who for us are not numbers, or “cases” to be deported, but they are women and men, girls and boys with names, origin and dreams for a life meant for people.

When we were asked to applaud the “heroes”, we knew very well that the acts of courage of ordinary people -who fled wars and crossed borders- are not validated in an applause, but in the vindication of their rights.

As teachers at the Open Accommodation site in Elefsina, we are working on a problematic framework. We are teachers of the “isolated village” and our school is inside this small “village”. Our main goal is to provide education for children and their parents, creating the most honest and equal relationships with them. We strive to transfer knowledge and experience of specific values, skills and abilities, wishing and hoping that with this knowledge children will not get used to this reality they are experiencing in the camp, and will eventually be able to overcome it.

This hope was cultivated by a farewell letter we received from a student, who, due to the measures for COVID-19, did not have the opportunity to say goodbye to us as she wished -neither did we, of course. The request for family reunification was accepted by the United Kingdom, so mother and children left on a special flight during the quarantine period. So, the letter of the little girl was handed to us by her classmates, when we returned to the site.

Her words were a written reflection of the values and relationships we work hard to build between the local community and migrants. Relationships that have as ultimate goal, to promote justice and freedom for the oppressed. When we told her that her story would be published, she asked us to add this: “I would like to say, stay human because I believe we can no longer encounter cruelty.”

So, in a context of global fear and isolation, due to the coronavirus, her letter showed us that what is needed the most is, to build relationships based on solidarity, equality, reciprocity and trust. N. writes at the beginning of her letter: “I would like to thank you because you are the Hope Makers.” Her name in her language means “light”. Today, N. is looking forward to continuing her studies at the Universities of United Kingdom and USA.

The real hope maker is you, our beloved N., and we hope that together, we will change this world.

• I am Eva Iliadi, English Teacher, at the Open Accommodation Center in Elefsina.
• I am Konstantinos Psilopanagiotis, Senior Teacher and Teacher of Mathematics at the Open Accommodation Center in Elefsina.
• We both work at the “Child & Family Support Hubs” project, which is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and IOM Greece and funded by the European Commission.

The word that might best describe the situation we are experiencing is exclusion. Our daily lives and our sociability have changed, and that reminded us that nothing in our lives is a given.

For refugees and asylum seekers, however, who have already experienced a complete change of their lives, the pandemic was nothing more than a reminder of the need for solidarity.

SolidarityNow’s activities at the Open Accommodation structures are aiming to support single-parent families and protect children.

Our most important goal is to provide solidarity to the people we help, to enhance the sense of security and protection and at the same time to be able to respond to the urgent needs of the pandemic.

So, what has changed? The feeling of insecurity has been increased because of the reduced access to services.

The most difficult part is the generalized feeling of stagnation and deadlock that people feel.

In response to these conditions, we decided to further support people, so that through their own strength to overcome the feelings of exclusion.

I would like to quote the words of a woman beneficiary; I will call her Leandra, although this is not her real name. Leandra is from Iran:

“I am just happy to be free. My ex-boyfriend kidnapped me and abused me. He didn’t let me go or speak to my family. Gradually I began to forget what day it was. I managed to escape and find my family again. I slowly began to form relationships with other girls and women from the community. We talked, we knitted, we walked, and we listened to music. In the last few days, I have been home with my family and I am trying to be careful. A month ago, we were informed of the risks and measures for COVID-19. I was asked if I wanted to be a supportive member of the women’s community. I started thinking about my family, my home, the people who helped me, and I felt safe. I accepted the proposal and along with the SolidarityNow team, I became part of a live network of information and solidarity for all the women living in the camp. In this way, I became a key link, conveying information and useful messages to women, thus strengthening the sense of community, but above all, helping each other”. SolidarityNow tries every day to make Leandra’s words come true, knowing in advance that only together we can face fear.

My name is Myrto Prodromidou, I am a Social Worker and Team Leader at the Vagiochori Open Accommodation Center for Refugees. I am working at the Child & Family Support Hubs project, which is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and IOM Greece and funded by the European Commission.

I have always found change difficult, and especially when it’s unforeseen and catches you unprepared. That’s why when we were told that the educational lessons in the camp were temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus, I felt that I couldn’t do my job: being among children. After all, our presence in the camp is equivalent to joy, positive energy and constant in the daily life of our students through our educational activities.

Even under these conditions, our team found a way to keep in touch with our young and adult students through… Nok-Nok! Our new friend is a postman in Kato Milia refugee accommodation structure and appeared to fill the gap in the hearts of children upon the closure of schools. Nok-Nok was preparing gifts for each student every week. Every Friday, early in the morning, when everyone was still asleep, Nok-Nok was passing by the children’s homes and left outside each door a package with educational material for learning Greek, English and mathematics, but also with paintings, fairy tales and comics without endings as every story stopped at the best point, so that the children would be waiting for the sequel. But the role of Nok-Nok did not stop there. After a week he reappeared. This time to make sure the young students had completed their homework and were ready to deliver it to their new friend. How? But in secret! Students had to leave their “homework” outside their door and Nok-Nok appeared only when they could not see him. Nok-Nok enjoyed receiving their exercises, he left new gifts and disappeared as suddenly as he appeared.

Having this plan, we started to prepare the necessary material, adapting it to the cognitive level of each student. This time-consuming process was combined with a staggering concern that our students would not show the expected zeal; as a result, the first week of preparations passed with mixed feelings. After the first distribution of the material, however, things changed. We prepared this little surprise for the kids, but they reserved an even bigger one for us in the way they responded.

Before I continue, I have to admit that most of the kids immediately understood who is Nok-Nok, something that gave us the opportunity to receive a lot of smiles. Every Friday morning, our friends who woke up early waited impatiently for us to deliver their homework and receive new. They shouted “papers, papers!” and they immediately ran to fill in the new material, to return it to us on the exact same day. Other times they waited patiently outside our office, hesitantly opening the door, asking, “Aren’t we going to get papers today?” and their faces lit up when they saw the packs of papers. On the other hand, the children, who woke up later in the day, made sure to send us thank you notes and pictures hidden among the exercise papers that came back to us.

In fact, a 13-year-old schoolgirl wrote the following note in colorful letters: “I greet you too, beautiful angel. I’m so glad I got your message. It was perfect. Thank you so much for thinking of us! I’m waiting for more!”

In these difficult conditions of the lockdown, both for us the teachers and for our students, Nok-Nok was the most enjoyable note. Seeing children’s smiles every time they received the material, their eager, how they gathered in groups at various points in the camp and worked together to solve their exercises together, the timid knocks on the door to ask questions and then run home to fill in the correct answer, they filled us with so much joy.

In those moments I forgot the lockdown, the social distancing, because I realized that with something as simple as five pages of mathematics, cryptic crosswords, and paintings, we softened the anxiety to the fullest, and perhaps the fears of the children created by these particular conditions. That, after all, was our goal: to make this period as easy as possible for the children. Not to lose the rhythm of their daily lives, not to lose their contact with education and to remain mentally healthy.

Children’s smiles should not fade, but smile bright. In the refugee camp of Kato Milia, I saw it happen during this period, thanks to the dedicated and methodical work of my colleagues.

I am Marika Gavrielatou, I am Senior Education Officer at the Kato Milia Refugee Open Accommodation Center. I am working at the Child & Family Support Hubs project, which is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and IOM Greece and funded by the European Commission.

The quarantine period was quite difficult for all of us. For me, not having classes and any contact with my students was an unprecedented condition as it was the first time I wouldn’t be able to meet them for a long time. I was constantly thinking about them and I was worried about how they might experience quarantine and restrictions both inside and outside the refugee site, where they live.

I was worried about them for not being able to go to school and about the difficulties they would face by “Staying Home”, where so many other people live. My need to feel close to them came into conflict with the need to respect the new rules.

After a few days, I had to visit to the site, and while the measures of social exclusion were in force, I faced a big challenge. Ten of my students were playing carefree, but when they saw me, they ran over me wanting to hug me. I felt that our relationship had not changed and that they had not forgotten me. I wanted to run to them too. I wanted to give them a huge hug, as we used to do. But I knew that this could not happen. I immediately had to come up with something that would prevent our physical contact. I had to not panic, not to disappoint them and not to take the joy and excitement away from them.

Without knowing why, subconsciously, I wanted and had to, avoid any contact with them for the protection of all of us; at the same time, I wanted to express my joy for seeing them again. So, I began to kinda “sing” and “dance”, actually it was something between dancing and martial arts. Fortunately, everything went well. The children started to imitate my movements, maintaining the required distances while at the same time we were all happy, having fun and expressing our joy for our meeting. We bubbled over with joy and even in this way we managed to get closer. We became one again.

My name is Konstantinos Kasampalis, I am a Professor of Mathematics and Science at the Serres Open Accommodation Center for Refugees. I am working at the “Child & Family Support Hubs” project, which is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and IOM Greece and funded by the European Commission.

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 is under quarantine due to coronavirus confirmed cases.

Unfortunately, one of the patients was a single parent who had to be hospitalized, leaving behind his three minor children. From that moment on, our work began since we had to take care of three children who were also in quarantine, away from their father and without being able to communicate with him.

Our specialized team in child protection and the mental health professionals of SolidarityNow in Malakasa started a daily communication with the three siblings, offering them support in every possible way. First of all, we wanted to ensure, that all of them were in good health, both physically and mentally and also to encourage them to be optimistic about the future. We visit them regularly and ensure that they have all the essentials they need.

At the same time, we are in constant contact with the hospital where the father is being treated, and actually, we are the only way for the children to learn about his health.

So, gradually, and through our daily communication, we built a relationship of trust with the children. We managed to have direct communication with their father and we notice now that the children are comforted because they feel there are in an environment on which they can rely. And this is something that, under these conditions, takes time and requires a lot of strength.

I won’t forget when one night my phone rang. It was a telephone number from Germany. I picked it up and on the other end of the line was the older sister of the children, who wanted to thank me for what we are doing for her family.

I share this story because it answers to many of my own questions. Is what we do enough? Is all these a futile effort? Can I make a difference?

With this phone call I realized that our efforts are not in vain and felt grateful for being able to support people not to lose hope. And for me, that is enough to make me continue with even greater commitment to do what I do.

I am Konstantinos Papadakis and I am a Teacher and Team Leader at the Malakasa Open Accommodation Center. I am working at the Child & Family Support Hubs project, which is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and IOM Greece and funded by the European Commission.

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 gloves. But have we ever wondered what has united us so far?

People living in refugee sites at various parts of Greece have shown us first hand, and already from the beginning of this crisis, what can unite us during this critical period – when access to basic services is often impossible and protection mechanisms cannot respond as before.

I would like to share with you the stories of people who have shrunk the world, and created bridges of solidarity, against the norms. The refugee community, in one of the refugee sites in Northern Greece, responded immediately by supporting three young children, who were left alone when their mother had to be transferred to the hospital. The women of the community cooked for the children while other took care of them in shifts, to make sure they were safe. They supported these children as if they were members of their own family.

At the same time, members of another refugee community at Vagiochori refugee site undertook the “weekly shopping” for the elderly inhabitants but also for people with mobility difficulties. So, they walked for miles carrying double weight, receiving this unique personal satisfaction that only solidarity may give you. The community of refugees at Serres camp completed dozens of “movement and exit” forms (when the state measures were stricter) for people who did not know to write, thus, giving them a small sense of freedom.

Through all these, we understood the importance of a united, cooperative and resilient community that is fueled and developed through substantial solidarity. Elements that accompanied these people all along their long journey from their country of origin, to Greece. The place where many of them want to build a new home, to create a daily routine, even amid this crisis.

At SolidarityNow we are here to support people in the new beginning of their lives. Our goal is not only to provide services to vulnerable people, but through information and empowerment, our vision is to contribute to the effort of people to recognize their skills and to overcome the obstacles that arise along the way.

I am Marina-Isaia Mavridou, Project Officer of Child Protection in Northern Greece. I am working at the “Child & Family Support Hubs” program, which is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and IOM Greece and funded by the European Commission.