Category: ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ

Studies abandonment due to war and Insufficient knowledge of the Greek language, the main obstacles in finding a job, reveals a SolidarityNow survey

Posted on Wednesday November 1st, 2017
SolidarityNow

SolidarityNow along with the University of Glasgow conducted an Innovative Research

on Refugees

Athens, 1 November 2017

Results of the new research conducted by SolidarityNow, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, are published today bringing important information in light relating to Syrian refugees residing in our country. According to the survey, 46% of the refugee’s state that they were forced to stop their studies due to war, 67% think that language is the main barrier to accessing the labor market, while the overwhelming majority, 61%, depends on the financial assistance provided by humanitarian organizations. These figures, SolidarityNow underlines, make it imperative to accelerate the process of integrating refugees into the Greek society aiming at their economic independence and social inclusion as well as the reclaim of human capital for the general social development.

Those are the conclusions following the completion of the first phase of the research program entitled “Building Futures: Aspirations of Syrian Youth Refugees and Host Population Responses in Lebanon, Greece and the UK“, conducted under the initiative of the University of Glasgow; the first phase was completed in July 2017. In this framework, SolidarityNow performed the relevant research in Greece, seeking a better understanding of the experiences, skills and aspirations of the young Syrian refugees hosted in the country.

Research methodology

Population sample: 500 refugees | Women (34%) & Men (66%), 18-32 years old

Time period: May – July 2017

The SolidarityNow team coordinated and interviewed refugees living in the organization’s hosting and accommodation structures, in other organizations’ structures as well as refugees living in official and unofficial camps, squats and collective structures. The survey was conducted in the Attica region, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Ioannina, Evia and Tilos, aiming at the largest possible range of the population groups.

“In SolidarityNow we have offered accommodation at 4,500 refugees. Throughout the survey, attitudes, skills and expectations of 500 young Syrian refugees across Greece were recorded. Today, we feel that we know the refugees a little better and we are more confident that we can help them integrate more easily in the host countries“, Georgia Papathanasiou, Compliance and Information Manager at the Solidarity Now Μonitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning & Performance Quality Department, points out.

Research conclusions for Greece

The research findings mainly concern three areas: a. education/training, b. income and c. access to the labor market.

– Educational level

Concerning the academic background of the respondents, the research has shown that 22% are primary school graduates, 32% are secondary education graduates, 19% are high school graduates, while 15% hold a university degree.

As a result of the warfare, 46% quit studying, whereas 70% of the respondents do not have any documentation to prove their education level, making it difficult for them to enter the labor market quickly.

– Income

Out of all the respondents, just 55% pay the house rent based on their own resources, 6% depend on the help by friends and relatives, 1% have income from work and 9% are supported by direct remittance. As a consequence, there is a bigger dependence on financial aid provided by humanitarian organizations (61%).

– Access to the labor market

In the relative question, for the 67% of the respondents, language is identified as the main obstacle to access the labor market, while 16% think that the problems they face are related to their refugee status itself. This is apparent in the 53% of the respondents who state themselves unemployed, whereas only 6% stated unemployed in their country of origin. The most popular areas of employment among the participants are tourism, food, construction and agricultural sector, which show proportionally the employment sectors of the participants in Syria.

SolidarityNow responds to the refugees’ needs

Based on those research results, SolidarityNow pushes forward in terms of educational and language (Greek, English and French) learning programs for the refugees.

At the same time, SolidarityNow extends its career, training and labor market guidance and programs in both its Solidarity Centers in Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as in the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki that also targets refugees.

Scientific research was made possible with the support of the following NGOs: Praksis, Caritas, Wellcommon, Doctors of the World, Oxfam, Arsis, Society for the Care of Minors, Melissa, HabibiWorks; SolidarityNow warmly thanks all of them.

Note:

The research findings are currently in the elaboration phase by the University’s academic team (Dimitris Skleparis – Scientific Advisor, Giorgos Kariotis – Associate Professor of International Relations), combining the data derived from the three countries. The research activities will be further assisted by awareness and sensitization actions which will be completed in March 2018.

The long-term objective of this study is to allow us to formulate policy recommendations to meet the training and skills needs of young refugees and migrants, with a view to facilitating either reintegration in Syria or integration in their host nations. It will also give guidance on how such policy can be framed and advocated so as to build consensus and cross community understanding in a context of strained public resources and anti-immigration sentiment.

* The program is funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)

Greece: Asylum Seekers in Abysmal Conditions on Islands. Groups Press Tsipras for Transfers to Mainland

Posted on Monday October 23rd, 2017
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

(Athens, October 23, 2017) – Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras should end the Greek government’s “containment policy” of confining asylum seekers to the Aegean islands, 19 human rights and humanitarian aid organizations said in an open letter released today.

Thousands of people, including very young children, single or pregnant women, and people with physical disabilities, are trapped in abysmal conditions as winter sets in. Forcing asylum seekers to remain in conditions that violate their rights and are harmful to their well-being, health, and dignity, cannot be justified by the implementation of the EU-Turkey deal, the organizations said.

Since the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement in March 2016, the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Leros have become places of indefinite confinement. Thousands of women, men, and children are trapped in deplorable and volatile conditions, with many denied access to adequate asylum procedures. Asylum seekers who arrived on the islands in the first days of the implementation of the EU-Turkey Deal have been stuck there for almost 19 months.

The recent increase in arrivals of men, women, and children has increased the pressure on the already overcrowded reception and identification centers known as hotspots. Current arrivals are still comparatively quite low and should be manageable for Greece and the EU more broadly, but they include a significant number of women and children.

The situation is particularly critical on Samos and Lesbos, where a total of more than 8,300 asylum seekers and migrants are living in hotspot facilities meant for just 3,000. The recent announcement that 2,000 asylum seekers will be moved from the two islands to the mainland in the coming weeks as an emergency decongestion measure is a positive development, the groups said. But it is not sufficient to alleviate the current overcrowding of the facilities and does not sustainably address the systemic issues that have created this emergency situation – namely the containment policy.

With the approach of the third winter since large-scale arrivals on the islands began, it is evident that the Greek authorities cannot meet the basic needs and protect the rights of asylum seekers while they remain on the islands. Implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement has been cited by EU and Greek officials as a justification for the containment policy. But forcing asylum seekers to remain in conditions that violate their rights and are harmful to their well-being, health, and dignity, cannot be justified, the organizations said.

The organizations urged Prime Minister Tsipras to protect the human rights of asylum seekers trapped on the islands by ending the containment policy. They should be transferred to the mainland so that they can be provided with adequate accommodation and services to meet their needs and to ensure that their asylum claims are fairly heard.

Quotes from Participating Groups

“Greece should end its cruel policy of trapping asylum seekers on the islands,” said Eva Cossé, Greece researcher at Human Rights Watch. “People should not be forced to suffer another winter in unheated tents and without proper services.”

“The policy of containment is putting the lives of people who are seeking sanctuary in Europe at risk,” said Jana Frey, the International Rescue Committee’s country director. “While we welcome the government’s announcement to move 2,000 people on Lesbos and Samos off the islands in the coming days as an emergency measure, this can only be seen as a first step. Far more must be done to both improve conditions on the islands, and move the most vulnerable to the mainland, in order to ensure that lives are not lost this winter.”

“The EU-Turkey deal must no longer be used as pretext to strand asylum-seekers in inhuman conditions on the Greek islands’’ said Irem Arf, Amnesty International’s researcher on migration. “It is imperative that the Greek government urgently move people to mainland Greece.”

“The policy of implementing the EU-Turkey Statement has been violating asylum seekers’ rights under international law, and has contributed in disrupting social cohesion in the Greek islands affected,” said Spyros Rizakos, director of Aitima. “It is high time the EU and Greek authorities abandoned this policy.”

“Europe is refusing to offer humane reception conditions and dignity to people in need who arrive on our shores,” said Nicola Bay, head of mission for Oxfam in Greece. “Greek and EU authorities should immediately transfer migrants to the Greek mainland instead of leaving them trapped in abysmal conditions on the Greek islands.”

“Making these Greek islands a huge detention center isn’t in the interests of anyone,” said Gianmaria Pinto, Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “We all know what it is needed, including the government: to provide vulnerable people trapped on the islands with dignified accommodation and adequate services, without overlooking legal aid.”

To read the joint letter to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, please press here

 

SolidarityNow Refugee Team… Runs with Heart and Solidarity at the 6th International Thessaloniki Night Half-Marathon

Posted on Thursday October 12th, 2017

#SolidarityNow_Refugee_Team participates in the *6th International Thessaloniki Night Marathon. Following the participation at last year’s Athens Classic Marathon, with the first group of refugees in the history of the Marathon, this year more than 20 refugees and immigrants –beneficiaries of the organization’s from the **Accommodation project and the ***Blue Refugee Center (BRC), along with SolidarityNow’s staff members, will run with heart and solidarity for a friend, a parent, a sibling; and for the Greek people they met and Greece that has welcomed them.

SolidarityNow Refugee Team is consisted by 13 Syrians, 8 Afghani, 1 Lebanese, and 6 members of SolidarityNow’s staff (4 Greeks, 1 Syrian and 1 Afghani). The most remarkable characteristic of this multinational team is that most of the runners are teenagers and women (22 women, 6 men). Furthermore, 3 mothers from Syria, will run along with their children.

Some of the participants are temporarily accommodated at the SolidarityNow housing structures in Thessaloniki; moreover, they are asylum seekers and in the forthcoming future they will be relocated to another European country to start their new life or to be reunited with their families.

Sending a Message | “I Run for…”

Shreen Hakan, 40 years old is a Kurdish Syrian mother of 2 children. Currently, she is living in Greece waiting for an identified period for family reunification. Shreen is a very dynamic and lively woman and she has a thirst for knowledge. She is taking English courses at the Blue Refugee Center of SolidarityNow in Thessaloniki. “While I will be running I will be thinking of my husband, who is in Germany. I haven’t seen him for two years now. I will run this Saturday because I want to send him a special message. My message is that ‘I am here but I am coming to meet you soon’”, says Shreen.

Bediya Seyid, 35, originally comes from Syria and she has 4 children. Bediya is learning English at the Blue Refugee Center. She knows some words in Greek but her daughter Slava, 13 years old, speaks almost fluently. Bediya is also waiting for family reunification. Her husband is in Austria. “I will not run, I will just walk, my daughter Slava will run. I am participating in this race because my children wanted to and I really wanted to do a fun activity with them. One more reason is that I have spent a nice time here in Greece and I want to have memories of the country and its people. I will carry these memories with me when I will be in Austria”, notes Bediya.

Slava, Bediya’s daughter, goes to 6th grade and she speaks three languages: Greek, English and Arabic. “I really like running but I participate in this race because I want to be with my friends. Besides that, I want to have memories of my life in Greece. When I will run I will think about my father. I want to tell him that ‘I will run to you papa’”, says Slava.

On Saturday, October 14nth, the 6th Half Marathon of Thessaloniki will send an additional message through the SolidarityNow Refugee Team: the message of coexistence, human rights, participation and equality.

* The 6th International Thessaloniki Night Marathon is an initiative of the Protergia enterprise and includes the Half-Marathon race and the 5.000m of the Health and Strength Dynamics Path.

** The SolidarityNow Hosting and Accommodation project is part of ESTIA, the Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation program, implemented by UNHCR and funded by European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO).

*** The BRC is supported by UNHCR and UNICEF and funded by European Commission – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

ANNOUNCEMENT

Posted on Tuesday October 10th, 2017

Mr. Epaminondas Farmakis has submitted his resignation from the position of General Manager of SOLIDARITYNOW as at this date, to pursue new professional challenges. The Association, through the President of the Board of Directors, Mr. Stylianos Zavvos, has accepted his decision, with effect from October 10th, 2017.

Mr. Farmakis occupied the position of General Manager since January 2015. He consistently delivered the organization goals, offering his valuable experience of several years to this end, working side-by-side with all our staff, external collaborators and volunteers, contributing with great success to the expansion of the reach of the services offered by the Association.

Mr. Farmakis thanked the Board for their trust and support, as well as the staff and collaborators of the Association for the constructive cooperation they had in promoting the aims of the Association, encouraging them to continue with the same disposition to assist those in need.

The Board of Directors thanked Mr. Farmakis for his important contribution and services to the Association and wished him the best of luck at his next endeavors.

Mrs. Antigone Lyberaki -member of the Board of Directors of SOLIDARITYNOW- will be taking over as Acting General Manager, being herself a distinguished Professor of Economics and an active member of civil society with meaningful experience in International Humanitarian Organizations.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Stelios Zavvos

Chairman

The letter in .pdf

Over 50% of refugee-children in SolidarityNow programs are going to school!

Posted on Thursday September 28th, 2017

“Education has no boundaries; education is not related to language and it is an inalienable human right. It is indeed a right of all children” *

 Athens, September 28, 2017

Approximately 160 out of the 282 refugee children hosted today in the SolidarityNow Housing programs have been smoothly integrated into the education system and have already started to attend public schools in the country. This percentage is overwhelmingly large as it reaches 56.09% of refugee children and basically represents the majority of the children who benefit daily from the organization’s services. Our common belief in SolidarityNow is that integration in society is made feasible through education.

One of SolidarityNow’s priorities is the protection of human rights at all levels, with emphasis on defending the rights of vulnerable groups such as children.

A basic human right is access to education for all. One of the main priorities of the organization, underpinning the planning and implementing of programs, is to respond effectively to the needs of the most vulnerable groups aiming at the smooth integration of children into public education; this way ensuring equal opportunities. Only thus will these children have equal treatment and the same opportunities to succeed at school as compared to their Greek peers.

What SolidarityNow has done to accomplish the enrollment of refugee children into schools

Since 2016, in order to ensure that all children will enroll in the educational system, the organization has implemented an additional strand of activities that would safeguard their right to smooth access to education:

  1. 1,481 non-formal educational activities were organized
  2. Provided a wide spectrum of activities, ranging from Arabic and Greek courses to computer skills training and geography
  3. Enhanced protection and informal pre-school education activities for 1,519 children
  4. Collaborated with local communities and schools in order to increase acceptance of the new students by classmates and parents, with emphasis on small communities.

The School in Numbers

Today:

– 158 out of the 282 children, hosted in the context of the SolidarityNow’s programs have enrolled in preschool and primary school (56.09%).

More specifically, the percentages of children by educational levels are as follows:

  • 75%: Pre-school
  • 56%: Primary school
  • 55%: Junior High school
  • 82%: High school
  • 26% of refugee children who are not yet enrolled in school are awaiting registration as soon as it becomes administratively possible
  • 06% and 52.60% of the refugee children who have enrolled in school are boys and girls, respectively
  • 17% of the children who are still “on hold” are justified by lack of motivation to enter the Greek educational system in view of pending relocation to another European country, lack of places in preschool education and in some cases, lack of places at schools in their proximity.

In this context, and with a view to the smooth integration of refugee children in the Greek educational system, the Ministry of Education should step up its efforts to ensure and encourage the enrollment of all children living in Greece.

Success Stories paving the Way

In Northern Greece, “Little S., a six-year-old girl staying in Sindos shelter, walks almost an hour to go to school, accompanied by her father”,while on the other side of the country, in the Southern Aegean Sea,

“The eight-year-old Hassan was a war-traumatized boy when he arrived on the island of Tilos, demonstrating troubled behavior toward his teachers and classmates. Through continuous support, he managed within a four-month period, to overcome his fears and became the best student in his class. He wants to be a doctor!”

Minor Examples, Major Steps towards Integration

Since 2016, SolidarityNow has helped eighteen (18) children to join public school in Sindos, while in Tilos thirteen (13) children are expected to start school this year (2017-2018). It is remarkable that the registration of the thirteen (13) children at Tilos School has led to a ministerial decision to increase the number of teachers from three to four, thus benefiting all the children of that island.

Our vision of giving access and providing education to all children becomes reality through determined and targeted actions aiming at overcoming language and cultural barriers.

 * Maria Patsikou, retired teacher, mother of three – she hosted in her home a five-member family from Syria, under the Home for Hope program. Read her story: https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/wearefamily-01-marias-karims-family/

“Solidarity Homes” by SolidarityNow: SolidarityNow and Help Refugees partner in pioneering housing project for recognised refugee and local families threatened with street homelessness

Posted on Wednesday September 20th, 2017

One step closer to social integration and acceptance

Athens, September 20th, 2017

In June 2017, SolidarityNow, in partnership with Help Refugees launched a pilot housing program for vulnerable population groups titled “Solidarity Homes”.

The pilot offers accommodation to refugee families and actively promotes their integration to Greek society. It also supports vulnerable local families facing the consequences of the economic crisis. Under this program six (6) families, with a maximum of 30 people, will be accommodated in the six (6) solidarity homes.

Cultural understanding and mutual respect

The program’s objective is to build relationships between the refugee population and the local community, to support the early steps of refugees’ integration and empowerment in society, and improve cultural understanding by promoting intercultural dialogue and mutual respect.

Provision of housing for families threatened with street homelessness

Refugee families are a population group that still needs exceptional ongoing support. Upon receiving refugee status, families lose access to accommodation and support programs, all that in a socio-economic climate that makes it harder for them to integrate in the host country.

The program also supports a local family with underage children, living in Greece for many years. Suffering from a reduction in income due to the crisis, they are unable to meet their daily needs and are threatened with street homelessness.

“Solidarity Homes” provides:

– Accommodation, by covering the cost of rent and utility bills.

– Provide a monthly allowance to meet the families’ basic needs through a prepaid card program.

– Provision of interpreting advice and services and interconnection with the competent public services, hospitals.

– Provision of advice and interconnection with the labour market.

– Support for the integration of children in the Greek educational system and adults in adult education programs.

– Educational, psychosocial and recreational activities, aiming at the smooth integration of the beneficiaries in society (learning Greek, creative activities for children, etc.).

29 residents at 6 “Solidarity Homes”

Today, the 29-people hosted in the total of six (6) “Solidarity Homes” (15 children and 14 adults) indicate the successful initiation of the program, reaching the utmost number of beneficiaries.

This specific program, which began in June 2017, will last one year (June 2018), and might be extended according to the population’s needs.

——————————————————————————————-

SolidarityNow was founded in Greece in 2013 with the initiative of Open Society Foundations, with its main goal to help those populations that are hurt most from the economic and humanitarian crises. SolidarityNow works with over 70 organizations and supports civil society organizations and public bodies that work in Greece to implement programs. It operates two Solidarity Centers in Athens and Thessaloniki, where vulnerable population groups can go to receive free medical, legal, and other services. Strategic partners of the organization include: UNHCR, UNICEF, EEA GRANTS, Embassy of Norway in Greece, etc. Currently, 15 million euros have been granted to projects addressing the economic and humanitarian crises in Greece.

Help Refugees, started in the summer of 2015 in response to the worsening situation for refugees in Europe, by a group of friends who raised money to support refugees in Calais, France. Today, the organization acts where governmental and other non-governmental bodies are unable to, working to fill the huge and terrifying gaps in services for those displaced by war in Europe and beyond. Our aim is that those we assist can say that their lives have been improved by permitting us to assist them, by bringing them dignity, hope, respect and humanity.

Joint Press Release about the violent incidents in Moria, Lesvos

Posted on Wednesday July 26th, 2017

On 28 November 2016 due to the accident in Moria’s camp that took the  lives of two refugees, SolidarityNow and 22 other organizations made a joint statement about the living conditions and safety rules in the refugee camps around the country.

We express our deepest concern in relation to the information, complaints and testimonies about violence and abuse by the Hellenic Police in the detention centre in Moria, Lesvos. Visual material depicting scenes of violent, inhuman and degrading treatment towards refugees causes disgust, while information about arbitrary arrests is of great concern.  In addition, the action of citizens who appear, in the same video, to be attacking and severely beating migrants and refugees, under the tolerance of police officers, raises many questions and requires instant investigation by the competent authorities.

The State policies have led to a double dead end: they have left refugees and migrants for months in a miserable situation, while at the same time they are testing the resilience of the inhabitants of the islands.  Repression, police violence, collective temporary custody and threatened heavy convictions on both right- and wrong-doers, plunge even further into this impasse.The harsh criminal treatment of migrants and refugees on the one hand, and the police violence, which no one seems to be disapproving or investigating, on the other hand, cast serious doubts on the level of protection of the rights in our country.We ask the Greek justice to stand up as a guarantor of the rule of law and resist to a climate of attaching collective responsibility as well as seeking of scapegoats.

Υοu can also read the statement in ARABIC

Co-signatories 

Babel DC

Bridges – Humanitarian Initiative

Hellenic League for Human Rights

Caritas Hellas

City of Athens Migrant Integration Council

Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity

Greek Forum of Migrants

Greek Forum of Refugees

HIAS Greece

Melissa: Network of Migrant Women in Greece

Motion for the defence of refugees’ and immigrants’ rights

PR.A.K.S.I.S. – Programmes of Development of Social Support and Medical Co-operation

SolidarityNow

United Afghan’s Community in Greece

Solidarity has found its home!

Posted on Tuesday July 25th, 2017

Outcomes in Numbers:

SolidarityNow achievements in Providing Accommodation to Asylum Seekers and Relocation Candidates

 SolidarityNow is actively involved in addressing the issue of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ accommodation in our country, based on the principles of human dignity and respect, having provided hosting and accommodation to more than 4,400 people of concern -among them more than 2,000 children- from April 2016 to June 2017.

SolidarityNow, believing that no man should live in tents or closed camps, has acted -and continues to act- by developing a multi-level hosting program. The idea of this initiative is to ensure decent living conditions for all and offer alternatives by developing housing models that match, as much as possible, the needs of each individual/family.

In the wider framework of the “Home for Hope” program, the organization has adopted an innovative approach to hosting, providing safe and dignified living through the accommodation options to particularly vulnerable populations during their stay in Greece; these people are hosted either until they are relocated to another European country, or until they are reunited with their family members or until they are officially recognized as refugees. These specific programs by SolidarityNow – which have been developed to date in Attica, Thessaloniki, Sindos, Tilos, Kilkis, Rovies in Evia, Ioannina, Peloponnese and Imathia – have focused on providing direct accommodation, while the beneficiaries of the programs are supported by a series of integrated free services both through the program as well as through the operation of the organization’s Solidarity Centers; some of the provided services are: access to medical care, legal counseling, social and psychological support, educational and recreational activities, etc.

From April 2016 until now, the program has comprised of four (4) types of accommodation structures, which vary according to the individual needs of beneficiaries:

  • Independent urban accommodation

Beneficiaries are hosted in independent houses, having the opportunity to start their own household; this type includes also refugees hosted in Greek citizen’s homes.

  • Collective shelters & UNHCR leased hotels (**housing in this type of structure has been completed)

The beneficiaries were hosted in hotels with which the organization cooperated; the hotels’ operation was supported by qualified staff and a range of offered services.

  • Protection accommodation for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers

These structures concern providing accommodation to the beneficiaries of the specialised assistance program “Safe Refugee” for the LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers, as well as to vulnerable refugees/asylum seekers such as disabled people, pregnant women, victims of violence, victims of torture, etc.

  • Tilos pilot accommodation project

A pilot accommodation structure operates on the island of Tilos for refugees and asylum seekers; through this program, the organization’s specialised personnel implements targeted actions aiming at the beneficiaries’ smooth integration into the local community and their peaceful coexistence with the inhabitants.

“Starting from the hands-on support of the Greeks’ solidarity towards the refugees, supporting those who hosted and shared a home with them, the network of the hosting actions now includes housing in more than 150 apartments“, notes Epaminondas Farmakis, SolidarityNow Managing Director. “We continue to develop our actions aiming to transfer more asylum seekers out of the islands or camps to safe shelters where they can get the necessary support to continue their lives“.

Alongside, and noting that 1 out of 5 beneficiaries of the organization has an additional vulnerability, SolidarityNow has developed dedicated housing and support services for LGBTI refugees and for those who need immediate shelter (pregnant women, victims of violence, victims of torture, etc.).

Beneficiaries’ profile in Numbers

– More than 55.05% of the beneficiaries are refugees, candidates of the relocation program to another European country

– 28.08% are asylum seekers in Greece

– 14.16% are eligible for reunification with family members

– Almost the 21% of the beneficiaries face a form of vulnerability, such as:

  • 64% are in serious medical condition
  • 17% are single parent families
  • 54% are women at risk and,
  • 5% has a disability.

SolidarityNow teams have so far provided more than 3,500 psychosocial support sessions, have facilitated access to medical services for 2,394 beneficiaries, and have provided specialized legal advice to around 250 people. It is also notable that to date, children and adult refugees, program’s beneficiaries, have participated in more than 40,000 educational and recreational activities.

SolidarityNow supports the immediate closure of the camps and the populations’ transfer to housing structures in the mainland of Greece. Our goal is to provide immediate relief to people suffering from inhuman living conditions and to promote alternative housing options such as rental apartment and hospitality programs as well as actions to support the smooth integration of refugees in our society.

*The Hosting & Accommodation Programs “Home for Hope” are implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNHCR and funding by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

SolidarityNow: Annual Activity Report 2016

Posted on Wednesday July 19th, 2017

Τhe organisation’s actions and its commitment to support the vulnerable populations reflected in a detailed report 

150.000 provided services at the Solidarity Centers – over 3.700 refugees/migrants have found shelter

“Confronted with reality, SolidarityNow developed programmatically and operationally to simultaneously undertake directly implemented social service provision and humanitarian relief activities for those in need -refugees, migrants, Greeks- as a body oriented to promote the open and tolerant societies”.

In these words, the organisation’s Chairman, Stelios Zavvos, introduces us the SolidarityNow Annual Activity Report for 2016, which aims to provide in-depth information on the multi-faceted humanitarian action and work of the organisation.

The organisation’s multidimensional action is apparent through the various actions and programs implemented during 2016. All these actions present a year of demanding efforts, teamwork, achievements and challenges. The results of our action have contributed to the improvement of thousands of people’s lives; these actions are captured in numbers:

  • 150,000 services were provided to vulnerable populations in the framework of the organisation’s two Solidarity Centers’ operation in Athens and Thessaloniki
  • 3,717 beneficiaries have found shelter through the wide range of different housing models implemented by the organisation

The annual Action Activity Report invites you to travel with us by making a stop at the Greek people’ homes who hosted refugees and have turned solidarity into practice. Furthermore, the Activity Report includes the SolidarityNow cornerstone events, refugees’ and migrants’ human stories, as well as the coordinated efforts to advocate and defend human rights. The 2016 accomplishments establish the foundations, but also create the expectations, for even more effective work in 2017 – “A lot of work remains to be done to meet the critical needs of our many fellow Greeks, refugees, migrants. Our vision, a society where every person not only fits but also can be distinguished“, says Epaminondas Farmakis, General Director of SolidarityNow.

Find the annual Activity Report for 2016, on the organisation’s website, https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/ekdoseis/, in Greek and English.

Lack of handover plans for the response in Greece puts asylum seekers at risk, NGOs warn

Posted on Tuesday July 11th, 2017

Humanitarian organisations welcome the transition to Greek Government management of all aspects of service provision for asylum seekers on the Greek islands and for unaccompanied children throughout Greece. However, as this transition begins, and the European Commission scales down support for humanitarian assistance currently provided by nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), there are growing concerns over the potential for deteriorating living conditions and diminishing access to essential services, as few details have been released about the plans for how this handover will be implemented.

In just over two weeks, on 31st July, the majority of European funding provided directly for NGOs responding on the Greek islands will come to an end. These NGOs have been providing aid for the nearly 14,000 people who are seeking international protection on the islands, but unable to move due to policies underpinned by the European Union – Turkey Statement. Under the new system, the Commission will support the Government to manage all aspects of the response through asylum, migration and integration funds (AMIF) and internal security funds (ISF) through DG HOME. The transition is a change from the current system in which NGOs provide services funded by the European Commission (directly through DG ECHO). In addition to the response on the islands, funding and responsibility for meeting the needs of the 2,250 unaccompanied children across Greece will largely also transition from DG ECHO to DG HOME funding under Government management.

This handover has the potential to be a positive step if implemented transparently, promptly and in close collaboration with the organisations currently providing services. However, to date, no national response plan has been released, and information about how the transition will be implemented is severely lacking. Without a clear transition plan, gaps in services will likely occur, and men, women and children may be put at greater risk, without the health, legal and other services and safety they need and have the right to.

We are already seeing the impact of similar service provider transitions. In Lesvos, for example, the contract for the organisation providing primary health care and conducting vulnerability assessments as part of the asylum procedure in the Moria Reception and Identification Centre ended on 30th May. Its 10 doctors, who had provided care for the more than 2,000 people living in the facility, as well as supported the Greek Asylum Service with vulnerability assessments, were replaced by just three doctors meant to fulfil the same responsibilities. Information from the ground indicates there is now a backlog in vulnerability assessments in both Chios and Lesvos, and a dire lack of primary health care.

Additionally, there has been a persistent shortage of safe accommodation and alternative care options for the children arriving to Greece alone throughout the response. There are currently 2,250 such unaccompanied children across Greece in need of safe shelter, but just 1,270 shelter spaces available. Roughly 1,000 unaccompanied children are therefore on a waiting list for shelter, with some living in squats, on the streets, or placed in “police protective custody” (detention) while they wait. As a result of this transition, at least five shelters are set to close, resulting in fewer shelter spaces available, and the number of children in detention, as a form of accommodation, is on the rise. Other forms of appropriate care, such as foster care and semi-independent living, which are more cost-efficient and in line with the needs and best interests of the children, have received little coordinated support or approval from the Government, and there has been no information released about if and when even existing, small scale alternative care initiatives will be continued, let alone expanded upon.

Any gaps in services caused by an uncoordinated transition would impact the health and well-being of thousands of already vulnerable people. It is therefore critical to learn from the lessons of the past years of this response and avoid a foreseeable humanitarian emergency.

We call on:

  • The Greek Government to consult with UN agencies, donors, NGOs and civil society to urgently develop and release a national response plan for the transition period and beyond. This plan should include clear steps for close collaboration and a smooth handover between current and new service providers to ensure no disruption or deterioration of services and living conditions on the islands or for unaccompanied children throughout Greece.
  • The Greek Government to invest in and facilitate the development of more effective and sustainable forms of alternative care for unaccompanied children, particularly supervised semi-independent living and foster care.
  • The European Commission to provide technical and coordination support to ensure that its funds are available, accessible, and used effectively and efficiently to prevent against disruption of essential services. This should include facilitating regular coordination meetings between relevant organisations and the competent authorities as necessary, to ensure a smooth handover between service providers.
  • The EU and other donors to encourage the Government to ensure continuation of health, mental health and psychosocial support, education and legal services on the islands and a variety of appropriate alternative care options and protection services for unaccompanied children throughout Greece.