SolidarityNow’s main objective is to support the most vulnerable members of our society indiscriminately, an array of complementary programs.

In addition to the support with education (see question 30), SolidarityNow operates two Solidarity Centers in Athens and Thessaloniki which provide an array of complementary services, indiscriminately. Both centers are open to visits, or information can be provided through the following telephone numbers (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)

Athens Solidarity Center: +3021 0822 0883

Blue Refugee Center: +30231 055 5266

Social Services:

• Social Protection Services
• Counselling
• Empowerment

Psychological Support Services:

• Psychological Support and Counselling
• Individual or group psychotherapy
• Integration and Empowerment Groups

Legal Services

• Legal Counselling
• Mediation
• Judicial Representation

Employability Services

• Supporting the unemployed when looking for work
• Vocational guidance and counseling
• Training in job search and career planning skills

Accounting and tax support for individuals

• Counselling and guidance about allowances, social provisions, and debt settlement

All services are provided free of charge.

Yes, there are several organizations offering such services, including SolidarityNow, Melissa, GCR Pyxida, Generation 2.0, METAdrasi, Hellenic Red Cross, ACCMR and more. At refugee.info here you can find the available options.

In Thessaloniki, these include:

1. SolidarityNow’s Blue Refugee Center. The center provides services including Greek and English lessons for adults and minors. Preregistration is required. Contact info:

Tel: 2310555266 & 6936061933, Email: thebluecenter@solidaritynow.org

2. The Solidarity Now Integration Learning Center. The center provides Greek Integration Courses to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection over 16 years old, and Recreational Care to students’ children and infants attending classes. As part of the HELIOS program and in collaboration with Caritas Hellas and the International Organization for Migration, Integration, Employability, and Accommodation services are also offered on the premises.

Note: As part of the HELIOS program, SolidarityNow also operates 4 more Integration Learning Centers:  in Athens and Ioannina,  in Kilkis in collaboration with  Omnes  and  finally in Katerini in collaboration with Perichoresis.

More Information: https://www.solidaritynow.org/helios/

3. International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC): Greek online lessons. A request through WhatsApp number +306955563472 is required.
4. ODYSSEAS, Solidarity School, Thessaloniki. Online Greek lessons after a request from an organization. Email: odisseasmet@yahoo.com.
5. Irida, Thessaloniki: Greek lessons for women. A request through WhatsApp number +306907289836 is required.
6. The School of Modern Greek Language of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Provides Greek lessons for adults (all levels), both online, and in person. The programs have different durations. For the registration you will need:
   1. Document of legal residence in Greece (asylum application, recognized refugee, residence permit or visa)
   2. High school diploma translated into Greek or English.
   3. 50 euros for the application

Each program has different tuition fees depending on the period of the program. However, it is possible to apply for a tuition waiver. The website:

https://smg.web.auth.gr/may2019b/programmata-2/

Yes, there are ‘Homework and Creative Activities Centers’ in Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina and Kilkis, by SolidarityNow and other NGOs in collaboration with UNICEF, as well as other NGOs that offer language lessons.

SolidarityNow’s Homework and Creative Activities Centers

No. They will learn Greek at school. In many schools across Greece there are ‘reception classes’ to support with language acquisition. There, the children that don’t speak Greek as a first language, receive additional hours of Greek language learning and then they participate in the mainstream class with the rest of the children based on their age.

Your children can be enrolled at the closest school to the area of residency. If you reside in an open accommodation center, you can ask the Refugee Education Coordinators. If you are supported by an accommodation program, you can ask the social workers. If you are self-accommodated in an urban area you can search for the closest schools. If you need any kind of support regarding the education of your children there are ‘Homework and Creative Activities Center’ in Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina and Kilkis under UNICEF’s program.

As of May 1, April 2022, all children – vaccinated or not – are not required to take a self-test twice a week, every Monday and every Thursday as was the case in the past. For the new school year, the optional use of a mask is provided.  Finally, it is recommended to perform a self-test in case of symptoms.

For now, any type of identification document (e.g., passport) will be enough and your child can be enrolled even without having all the official documents. The person in charge – based on the address – SEP (Refugee Education Coordinators) indicates in which school unit the child will be enrolled. After contacting and making an appointment with the school principal, you visit the school to complete enrolment. You will be asked to complete additional documents there, which will be given to us by the principal. These documents include:

1. A registration form
2. Proof of address in Greece (you can get it from the Site Manager if you reside in an open accommodation center, from the social worker responsible at the accommodation scheme, or with a declaration in KEP)
3. Legal documents of the child and parents
4. Solemn Declaration of the parent in relevance with the previous years of studying in the country of origin
5. Solemn Declaration of previous participation in Reception Classes (ZEP) (in case of attending)
6. Solemn Declaration of participating in school’s meals program and healthy diet promotion. This way the child receives meals at school
7. Solemn Declaration of the person/people that will accompany the child to and from school

Also, another document that will be requested during the first period of the child attending school is the Individual Student Health Card (ADYM),  which is  issued by a pediatrician, after  examination.  The child will also be asked by the school for a vaccination book listing the vaccines he has already received.

Yes, formal education is compulsory and in person for children aged 4-15 years old. They can also be enrolled in Upper High School (Lyceum) if they are 15-17 years old. Children with a refugee/migrant background can be enrolled in schools at any point during the school year. SolidarityNow in collaboration with other NGOs implements the ACE (All Children in Education) program, aiming to facilitate the integration of refugee and migrant children in the formal education setting through the provision of non-formal education (NFE) services in Homework and Creative Activities Centres (HCACs) and other complementary activities. For more information you can visit our site: .

For more information visit our page: .

Cars with Ukrainian plates should have the so called “green card” (insurance for the car outside the country of registration) when they are used outside Ukraine. The green card is based on the Ukrainian insurance of the car. While the green card (insurance) is paid before the exit of the car from the country of registration, Ukraine legislated that cars with Ukrainian plates can leave the country without it.

Cars with Ukrainian plates used outside Ukraine are covered exceptionally by the Ukrainian Bureau of International Insurance for a period of 30 days without charge. After the expiration of the above 30 days period, the cars with Ukrainian plates should be insured. The Ukrainian Bureau of International Insurance operates and has shared the attached information for owners of cars with Ukrainian plates that are used outside Ukraine (http://www.mtsbu.ua/ua/presscenter/news/168164/ ). The cost of insurance in that case is appx. 180 euros per month.

The entry of cars with Ukrainian plates into Greece is documented with a stamp of the Customs Office in Promahona or border checkpoints. The stamp documents when the start of the six-month period for the use of the car in Greece begins.

The cars with Ukrainian plates cannot be insured by Greek Insurance Companies unless they get provisional Greek plates. Only the green card is available as a means of insurance.

After entering Greece with your vehicle, you must state your address at the customs office of his place of residence to get Greek provisional plates. To do this, you need to have a hosting address (friends, hotel, etc.), and you will need to visit the city’s custom office. The declaration must be made within 30 days from the date of entry into Greece, otherwise a fine will be imposed.

In this case the cost for using the car is analyzed as follows:

• 100 euros for the provisional plates
• road taxes (possibility to pay per month – the cost depends on the cubics of the car)
• insurance that is bought in Greece – Greek insurance purchased

For Attika/Piraeus region, the Customs Office that provides provisional plates is the one located in the port of Piraeus.

For the area of Thessaloniki you can contact the A Customs Office of Thessaloniki at the port located at the intersection of Karatasos and October 28th. For more information you can call the +30 2313 334320.

Regarding the driving license, a valid driving license issued in Ukraine is accepted for driving in Greece when:

• Either it is held by a person enjoying temporary protection in accordance with Article 1 of the 3d relevant decision.
• Either it is held by a person who does not have his habitual residence in Greece, because of the fact that both Greece and Ukraine are parties to the Vienna Convention (1968) on Road Traffic.

In case the license is not in Latin characters, it is required to be accompanied either by an official translation into Greek or English or by a valid international license.

In case the owner does not want to use the car there is the possibility to declare at the Customs office of his/her place of residence that the car is immobilized. The cost of the procedure is 10 – 20 euros and an officer of the Customs Office visits the place where the car is parked to lock the wheel. The immobilization of the car means that the six months period freezes.

Important useful information: in case the entry of the car in Greece is not proved by the relevant document issued at the borders, the car owners should have with them their passports that prove when they have entered Greece to facilitate the procedure at the Customs, which enters in the system the date of entry of the car in Greece.

In any case, please contact the customs service in your area.

There is the recent platform https://ukraine-greece.eu/, provided in English and Ukrainian, is a comprehensive digital aid for Ukrainian refugees heading to or staying in Greece. Job vacancies will be available, and the candidates will be able to submit an application form. However, support to find employment can be provided by NGOs, including SolidarityNow Centers (https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/contact/).