SolidarityNow Welcomes and Supports 175 Unaccompanied Minors

transferred from the Islands and the Evros to the mainland

“We ought to create a human network for children to feel safe and protected, this is our first step” _Antigone Lyberaki, General Manager, SolidarityNow

SolidarityNow, supports the organized efforts of the state and Civil Society for the immediate decongestion of the islands and the border area, for the safe and organized transfer of people, by welcoming and supporting 175 unaccompanied minors in temporary accommodation in the mainland.

SolidarityNow, under the overall coordination of the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and with the support of the European Commission, provides care and support services for 175 unaccompanied children in three temporary accommodation in northern Greece, specifically in the prefectures of Kozani and Ioannina. The unaccompanied minors previously lived either in Reception and Identification Centers or were under protective custody.

“It is challenging for us to create a human environment where these children will feel protected. We ought to create a human net, through the daily human contact of our teams with them, to make them feel safe and protected, this is our first step. We want them to feel familiar – to give them back the opportunity to feel like children again, like teenagers again. To give them the reassurance that they can claim a better present and an even better future”, points out Antigone Lyberaki, General Manager of SolidarityNow. “Kozani and Ioannina are open-minded places with educated individuals. And it is important for the local communities to embrace this common effort because such initiatives demonstrate how cooperative societies we can be when we have a common goal”.

The SolidarityNow team, which consists of 102 experienced and specialized staff, through the program, provides to these children:

– psychosocial support and personalized case management

– legal advice and facilitating access to public services

– non-formal education and leisure activities

– interpretation and cultural mediation

– clothing and personal hygiene items

– evaluation and advice on medical issues

– escort to health facilities and other services where the physical presence of children is required

SolidarityNow points out that the synergy between the state’s stakeholders and the Civil Society for the transfer of the unaccompanied minors to safe accommodation places is an important step in providing protection to these children, but also a step towards decongestion of the Reception Centers in the Aegean islands and in the border area of ​​Evros, and we hope it continues.