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Hope found a home and received creativity awards for it!

Posted on Thursday April 6th, 2017

4 Ermis Awards for the “Home for Hope” awareness campaign of SolidarityNow

Athens, April 6^th, 2017

The awareness campaign implemented by SolidarityNow, with the support of the UNHCR, dedicated to the hosting program entitled “Home for Hope” was honored with four creativity prizes in the Ermis Awards for 2016.

This year’s award night revealed four important distinctions for SolidarityNow and the advertising company Soho Square, the people of which inspired and designed the campaign pro bono. More precisely, the Home for Hope campaign aimed at informing, raising awareness, and encouraging people to “open their home” and host refugees who lack shelter, for a short period; the campaign received:

Social messages category

The golden award for the complete campaign with the key message “Banish Fear”

The silver award for the campaign’s radio spot and

Two bronze awards for the campaign’s TV spot

The awareness campaign was launched in September 2016 and was completed at the end of December 2016; the campaign was rolled out to the public through various actions:

The program’s website homeforhope.gr
The TV and radio spots entitled “Banish fear!”
The print and electronic media ads
The digital campaign through the organization’s social media
The promotion of the campaign at Metro and HSAP stations

Since the initiation of the hosting and accommodation program, from April 2016 and until its completion in December 2016, more than 700 refugees found shelter in the homes of permanent residents in the country, both in Athens and Thessaloniki.

“This award is a special honor and recognition for the work implemented by SolidarityNow for the people who most need our support and solicitude. It is important, at a time that the migration issue is declining and forgotten, as non-urgent, and at a period when racism and xenophobia are testing our society, to honor awareness and sensitization campaigns that make us feel slightly uncomfortable; asking us to react, to leave the fear behind us and put our solidarity into practice. This campaign has succeeded in doing just that: it motivated people to open their houses and host refugees“, notes Sophia Ioannou, Head of Communications at SolidarityNow.

We thank Soho Square Team and Fos Productions with the help of which we managed to motivate people to banish fear, open their homes and host refugees!

*Ermis Awards is the only body awarding creativity in communication in Greece and is organized every year by the Hellenic Association of Communications Agencies.

SolidarityNow submits petition tο the European Parliament

Posted on Tuesday April 4th, 2017

Imperative the investigation of EU funding for Greece

to manage the refugee crisis

Athens, April 4^th, 2017

On Monday, March 13^th 2017, SolidarityNow submitted a petition to the European Parliament (Committee on Petitions – PETI) requesting that it investigates the connection between European Union funding in Greece and the dismal reception conditions for individuals seeking international protection. The petition draws the urgent attention of the Parliament to the mismanagement of EU funds by Greece, which has left people to live in degrading and deplorable circumstances, resulting in the avoidable deaths of several individuals.

The EU has allocated over €1 billion to Greece to help the country bring its asylum system into compliance with its human rights obligations; however, despite substantial funding, the country has failed to establish reception conditions that comply with these obligations. The petition highlights the substandard conditions and the deficiencies of funding implementation by Greece and requests meaningful inquiry into this situation, including a hearing before the PETI Committee, and the possible evaluation of the situation by the European Court of Auditors and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

In order to provide more immediate and sustainable relief to individuals suffering in inhumane living conditions, we recommend that the EU funding earmarked for reception is shifted towards camp alternatives, such as apartment rental schemes and hosting programs, which are more cost-effective and provide more dignified conditions for those seeking refuge.

“Of course, the EU institutions are aware of the situation in Greece”, notes the Managing Director of SolidarityNow, Epaminondas Farmakis. “With a peculiar and well-known doublespeak, the Commission takes advantage of the administrative chaos and the inhuman conditions prevailing in the islands to convey the message of deterrence. Not only does Europe know, but it also finds it convenient. And here lies the real issue: not only do they know, but the situation actually suits them. That is why it is the duty of civil society to inconvenience the EU and ask them to be responsible with human lives and the funding allocated from European taxpayers”.

SolidarityNow remains deeply concerned with the mismanagement of EU funds by Greece and the dire situation that such mismanagement has created. We urge the Parliament to take due notice of this petition to ensure that urgently needed measures are implemented as human life is at imminent risk. We strongly advocate for an expedited review by the Parliament of the situation in Greece with an aim of ensuring that proper reception standards are attained as soon as possible.

Read here the full text of the petition

For more information, please contact:

Natasha Arnpriester, Legal Research Coordinator

natasha@solidaritynow.org

Eleni Takou, Senior Advocacy Officer

eleni@solidaritynow.org

Aya Burweila, Senior Researcher & Public Policy Officer

aya@solidaritynow.org

Valia Savvidou, Press & Events Officer

valias@solidaritynow.org – tel 210 6772500

“Stranded in Souda, Chios” SolidarityNow records in a 360 video, the struggle of a refugee family for survival in Chios

Posted on Wednesday March 29th, 2017

Photo: SolidarityNow

SolidarityNow utilizes the new technology and process in the production of audiovisual material 360o to record and highlight the negative and often inhumane conditions under which the refugees live; the refugees trapped for months in the reception camps of the Greek islands. The organization’s goal is to high-point the existing major problem and underline the urgent need for the camps’ closure and the direct transfer of vulnerable populations in safe structures of the mainland.

The panoramic video (360°) “Stranded in Souda, Chios” of 3’25” duration was produced in collaboration with the award-winning photojournalist Giorgos Moutafis. The video enables viewers to engage to the 51-year-old Adulla everyday life, who was forced to leave her city, Kobanî in Syria, because of the war and is trapped for the past seven months, in Souda camp in Chios, along with her four children. Viewers will become part of the family’s life and the ongoing effort for survival along with their fear for the future.

The 51-year-old Adulla, with Syrian origin, has come to Greece along with four out of her eleven children. Her 17-year-old son was killed in Lebanon. Adulla and her children were forced into a constant “hide and seek” to escape from ISIS. They managed to escape from Lebanon and after the murder of the 17-year-old son returned to Syria to be found later in Iraq and today in Chios.

Adulla’s family is one among the 700 refugees currently residing in Souda camp, whereas more than 3,500 refugees have passed from Chios only during the first months of 2017. “We live everyday by the day, by the hours. We don’t have hot water, we sleep on the floor, we are afraid”, Adulla says.

Several times Souda camp has turned into a “battleground”. The groups of extremists, with stones and flaming objects have tried to impose and expel the refugees. Very often, refugees are forced to spend the night outside the camp for fear of attacks, seeking a safe place until dawn.

One year after the EU – Turkey agreement and many refugees has been abandoned in the Greek islands; thousands of people remain trapped, living under poor and often insecure for their health conditions, facing an uncertain present and an even more uncertain future.

Inferences of the Open Discussion Europe in the Mirror: the French Elections and the “Extreme Right International”

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(Ελληνικά) Photo: Ν. Kominis

This year Europe is coming face to face with her ghosts. Extreme right forces are seeking a leading role in several countries. The importance of the French election becomes crucial. In this context, SolidarityNow organized yesterday (27.03.2017) the open discussion entitled Europe in the Mirror: the French Elections and the “Extreme Right International”.

Six distinguished speakers presented their ideas and discussed: the rise of nationalism and racism, multiple identity issues, migration, “the Extreme Right International”, its historical roots and spread if its ideology, the economic crisis, terrorism and security threats, normalization of ideas and practices of the far-rig, the role of the media.

Speakers

Karim Amellal, Writer, Institute of Political Studies, Paris
Jean-François Bayart, Political Scientist, Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies, Geneva
Jean-Paul Gautier, Political Scientist (PhD) and Historian, Researcher on Extreme Right in France
Adéa Guillot, Journalist / Correspondent in Greece (Le Monde, Arte, Le Soir)
Nikos Smyrnaios, Senior Lecturer, Political Economy of the Media, University of Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier
Daphne Halikiopoulou, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics, Reading University

Moderator: Kostis Papaioannou, f. General Secretary of Human Rights
Karim Amellal mentioned that, in a way, Le Pen and the National Front have already won the elections since they have won the ideological battle in France. Two are the main issues today he explained: “Firstly the ideas of the far-right are normalized inside the French society – Islam, terrorism, leaving the E.U etc.- and secondly, there is a generalized indifference by the people, not a new phenomenon but one we were not paying attention to and now we see its consequences”.

Daphne Halikiopoulou approached the French elections from a comparative perspective. She made a comparison between the National Front and other European extreme right parties in terms of three key areas: a. programmatic discourse and the ‘de-demonization’ strategy, b. the voter profile, which expands to include more women and younger voters, c. the use of context, through the management of the economy and immigration.

Jean-Paul Gautier, highlighted that the rise of Marine Le Pen in the leadership of the National Front, gave new momentum to the party, by ‘smoothing’ the language it uses. “Le Pen seems to support homosexuals and women who feel threatened by Islam. She seems to have a more liberal agenda in comparison to her father but essentially, it’s the same shop with a slightly different showcase. The ideological base is the same”, explained Mr. Gautier.

Journalist Adéa Guillot, linked the discussion to the exploitation of the refugee issue. “How can the far-right exploit the refugee problem in Greece? By exploiting people’s anxieties and fears, taking normal feelings, and using them to manipulate people”, she stated.

Nikos Smyrnaios analysed the confidence crisis in the media, highlighting that “we conclude that the basic explanation when it comes to information confusion (confusionnisme), conspiracy theories and prejudice which dominate a large section of the French public, is the outcome of their disappointment and lack of trust towards mainstream media. Thus, the media system as well as part of the journalists are significantly responsible for this situation which favors the rise of the far-right”.

Jean-François Bayart mentioned that our weakness to face constructed ideas as well as the rise of the National Front is related to globalisation, the declining idea of the state and the subsequent identity crisis. “Europe today has to face a ‘national-liberal’ (national-libérale) system. The problem in Europe is not the lack of employment but the lack of stable employment, which is the basis for far-right ideas”, stressed Mr Bayart.

Kostis Papaioannou closed the discussion by saying that “we are threatened by the diffusion of the xenophobic far-right ideology into an electoral domino where anti-establishment views, democratic fatigue, fear and anger prevail. However, a leveling anti-populism of no alternative (there is no alternative) is suggested as the antidote to the European populism. In this way, political elites are detached from the real problems and the far-right seeks to be the only force that proposes solutions. Le Pen’s and Orban’s scarecrows are less frightening when representatives of the European political dreadlock surround them. At the same time, the extreme right agenda is fed by the Jihadist terrorism and vice versa. In Greece, the importance for both the criminal response against Golden Dawn as well its political isolation is constantly proven. In this context, the joint appearance of Golden Dawns leaders with religious leaders consists a major faux pas”.

The Civil Society Prize awarded to Amed Khan

Prior to the event, the President of the SolidarityNow Board of Directors, Mr. Stelios Zavvos, awarded a Civil Society Prize to Amed Khan, a great philanthropist and founder of the Elpida Home in Thessaloniki. In the framework of the Elpida Home, Mr. Khan and his team rehabilitated an abandoned clothing factory in the north part of Thessaloniki, transforming it to a unique camp with a humane approach which provides shelter to 800 refugees.

A Mobile Unit of the Hellenic Red Cross made a stop at the Athens Solidarity Center

Posted on Thursday March 23rd, 2017

Today, March 23^rd, 2017, at the Athens Solidarity Center we had a happily different meeting; the President of the Hellenic Red Cross Dr. Antonios Avgerinos launched the action of the Mobile Unit, a total duration of three weeks.

The Mobile Unit “Family Ties Rehabilitation» Tracing Bus Van concerns the provision of Family Rehabilitation Services Ties (RFL) to refugees and immigrants; therefore, the Mobile Unit made its stop to the Athens Solidarity Center which is operated by SolidarityNow and offers, since 2014, high-quality services to both refugees/migrants and Greeks who are in need.

The RFL Mobile Unit is a pilot program that will be developed over a period of three months in Athens, Epirus, and Thessaloniki. The program aims to provide communication services to refugees and migrants in order to re-connect them with the members of their families who live in other countries.

The operation of the Mobile Unit and the Red Cross staff were supported by the SolidarityNow personnel, while many of the Center’s beneficiaries received the primary Unit services.

*The Athens Solidarity Center is accessible to all people regardless of nationality, religion, ethnic origin, or social status. The Center offers a comprehensive set of services to refugees, migrants and Greeks who are in need (legal, social, and psychological support, helpline and counseling for families, children, and adolescents (with the partnership of Together for the Children), children friendly space (through the Network for Children’s Rights), asylum office services, following an appointment by the central Asylum Service.

Home for Hope and four awards

Posted on

Four Ermis distinctions (1 Gold, 2 bronze and 1 silver) were awarded to SolidarityNow awareness campaign on our hospitality project HomeforHope which is implemented with the support of UNHCR GREECE.

Four major awards for us and the advertising agency Soho Square Athens! The creative team was inspired by our work and they were very eager to design -pro bono- the campaign, resulting to the prestigious advertising awards.

This is a great honor and a great recognition for the work of the organization by the side of people in need.
Thank U @Soho Square Team, thank you FOS – with your help we made more people to chase fear away and to open their homes and their hearts to accommodate refugees!

One Year Stranded & What’s Changed? An Update – Joint Policy Note

Posted on Monday March 20th, 2017

Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

With this update to the October 2016 Joint NGO Policy Brief on the Situation for Displaced Persons in Greece, the eight national and international responding agencies, present an overview of the current situation in the country, and set out the most urgent -according to the organisations- issues that need to be addressed, and the major concerns with Europe’s response to this crisis.

Joint Advocacy Note – One Year Stranded and What’s Changed 17 March 2017

INVITATION TO PRESS CONFERENCE: One year after the EU-Turkey Deal for refugees and migrants

Posted on Thursday March 9th, 2017

Photo: Giorgos Moutafis

INVITATION TO PRESS CONFERENCE: One year after the EU-Turkey Deal for refugees and migrants

Athens, March 9, 2017. One year after the EU-Turkey deal, a “non-deal” on which the General Court of the European Union recently ruled that it has no jurisdiction to examine, the status of reception and asylum in the EU borders is unprecedently undermined:

Undermined in terms of legality, since the expedited border procedures often take place without any procedural safeguards as regards the asylum process, and thousands of people live for months in detention and/or in geographical restriction without knowing why and for how long this will last.

Undermined in terms of transparency and accountability, especially as regards the political and legal liability that returning refugees to Turkey entails.
Undermined in humanitarian terms, since thousands of people live stranded in hotspots or in camps in the mainland without access to basic services, without protection and without knowing what will happen to them in the future.

The message that this deal sends out undermines the European values of human rights and dignity. Our organisations had underlined that, in order to face the ongoing refugee crisis, we should seek a solution that reflects European values: descent reception conditions, access to fair asylum procedures, providing safe legal passages through resettlement and relocation and full respect to the principle of non-refoulment.

One year after the EU-Turkey Deal, we are holding a Press Conference in Athens, on Thursday 16 March –the same day that the returns under Dublin Regulation will be resumed, exacerbating even further the situation in Greece.

Interventions will be made by:

Marietta Provopoulou, General Director of MSF
Nikitas Kanakis, President of Doctors of the World-Greece
Dimitris Sarafianos, vice-President of the Hellenic League for Human Rights
Spyros Koulocheris, Scientific Coordinator of the Greek Council for Refugees
Epaminondas Farmakis, Managing Director of SolidarityNow
Heracles-Spyridon Aktypis, Head of Office of Amnesty International Greece
Dimitris Christopoulos, President of the International Federation for Human Rights.

The Press Conference will be held at ESIEA (Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers) – 20 Akadimias str., Athens, at 12:30 p.m.

*Press Conference moderator, Aggeliki Spanou, journalist.

UPDATE

Read below the declamation of Mr. Epaminondas Farmakis, Managing Director of SolidarityNow during the Press Conference of March 16.

It is our duty to call Europe to responsibility

BREAK FREE FROM THE CLIMATE CHANGE, THE INEQUALITY AND VIOLENCE

Posted on Monday March 6th, 2017

More than 30 agencies, organizations, communities, movements and initiatives fighting for the environment, human rights and the elimination of discrimination and all forms of violence, are joining forces under the global initiative Break Free and its activities from 12 to 31 March.

The aim of the alliance is to create a common front that will magnify and promote any progressive political and social claims. The Break Free Alliance addresses open call for participation in any organization and any citizen who wants to respond collectively and peacefully against any form of environmental degradation and social or political repression.

Find out more here

The Blue Refugee Center on the side of refugees and migrants in Thessaloniki

Posted on Wednesday February 22nd, 2017

Cecile Abi Tayeh

SolidarityNow launches the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki; this Center will operate as an information and assistance hub for all refugees and migrants, living permanently or residing temporarily, in Northern Greece.

The new Center is part of the programs implemented by SolidarityNow in Northern Greece, in response to the urgent needs of the vulnerable populations that are trapped in our country after the closure of the borders. In the Blue Refugee Center, refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers, can take immediate and effective support for a range of needs by the organization’s professional groups (lawyers, social workers, psychologists, etc.), through the different services provided pro bono.

The main target of the Blue Refugee Center, that is operated in Thessaloniki with the support of the UNHCR and UNICEF, is the empowerment of the refugees and migrants as well as of the host communities. Furthermore, the conception of the Blue Refugee Center relied on a great need that is not directly visible; the essential need of people with different cultural origins for a friendly space of coexistence and social interaction.

The timely and reliable information to the refugees and migrants is the key priority of the Center’s operation and this becomes reality through:

Helpline (tel.no: 2310 555 266| *charges apply at national landline cost) and
Open and accessible front desk, which operates at the Center and provides administrative information and services.

In parallel, the aim is to promote a better quality of life, enhancing self-reliance and developing a sense of security for the Center’s beneficiaries.

“The core basis of the Blue Refugee Center is the expanded service package provided to the beneficiaries that symbolizes the open, easily accessible and friendly nature of the Center. In such a hub, the beneficiaries feel safe being in a place where they can find practical assistance to their needs. Above all, the Blue Refugee Center is a place where refugees and migrants enjoy the respect they deserve“, says Ioanna Fourkiotou, the organization’s Programs coordinator in Northern Greece. And she continues: “The Center addresses all those people who live for months under hazardous conditions in camps, on the street, or in temporary shelters. SolidarityNow tries to level up the quality of assistance involving the beneficiaries in the design of the services provided at the standards of its Solidarity Centers. We are actually trying to bring refugees closer to Thessaloniki and Thessaloniki closer to the refugees”.

In the Blue Refugee Center, the following services are provided:

– Health services

– Legal Counselling

– Psychosocial Support and Counseling

– Employability consulting/ support

– Educational and Recreational Activities

– Women Safe Space

– Child Friendly Space

– Breast-feeding corner

– General Information, Translation/Interpretation Services

SolidarityNow operates the Blue Refugee Center, in the heart of Thessaloniki and anticipates to provide help to a great number of beneficiaries, based on solidarity.

BLUE REFUGEE CENTER

Helpline: 2310 555 266