SERVICES – INSTITUTIONS
*The full text of this article is available as PDF below.
*Please note that this is only an indicative list
National Mechanism for Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation of Policies for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion
Community Centers are structures designed by the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Social Solidarity, established in Municipalities. The Community Center is the first contact point of the citizen with the social service of each Municipality. From there, the citizen is informed about all the benefits he is entitled to, all agencies, services and programs that provide him with social care in any form at the level of the Municipality, Region or Territory. Visit https://opeka.gr/kentra-koinotitas/ to find the Community Center that serves you in your area of residence. The table is interactive. You fill in your Region or your Municipality and you find the address of the Community Center you are interested in.
Due to the increased migrants – refugees and asylum seekers flaws currently taking place in Greece, there are numerous public offices, organisations and NGOs operating in the field, some of them are activity specific some others provide general support and guidance, some good examples with great experience and knowhow in this field are:
SolidarityNow (NGO), committed to improve vulnerable people’s lives in order to pursue a better future, with dignity and perspectives. Operating 3 Solidarity centers offering free services such as:
Contact details – https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/
Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) (NGO), GCR offers free legal and social advice and services to refugees and people coming from third countries who are entitled to international protection, while special emphasis is put on vulnerable cases, such as unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking etc. GCR’s services are offered in Athens, Thessaloniki and in the region of Evros (Orestiada, Alexandroupoli, Rodopi) but also in every entry point in Greece, such as the Aegean islands, where people in need of international protection enter in great numbers. The main sources of GCR stem from European and co-financed Programs, by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, by grant making trusts as well as companies and individuals. In summary GCR’s social welfare services include:
Contact Details – https://www.gcr.gr/en/
International Organization for Migration Greece (IOM) is the world leading intergovernmental UN Organization for migration. IOM implements projects aiming at a social and labor migrant integration, legal and orderly migration to EU and non EU countries, enhancement of accommodation facilities, improvement of migrants’ living conditions, counter of racism, xenophobia and human trafficking, such as:
Contact details – https://greece.iom.int/
http://www.hlhr.gr/
The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) is the oldest human rights organization in Greece, long before the acronym NGO entered the Greek vocabulary. The League was set up in 1936 with Aleksandros Svolos as president and was dissolved by the dictatorship of the 4th of August. It was reinstituted in 1953. The League since its establishment is a permanent member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and represents this network in Greece and participates in its organs. According to its statute, the League “undertakes activities in the domain of dissemination, advocacy and development of principles that reckon to men rights and freedoms, integrated to social structures”.
https://help.unhcr.org/greece/
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency created the website help.unhcr.org/Greece for refugees and asylum seekers in Greece. On this website you will be able to find information about:
IRC (International Rescue Commitee)
https://www.rescue.org
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. In more than 40 countries and in 26 U.S. cities, our dedicated teams provide clean water, shelter, health care, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people. The International Rescue Committee ensures these refugees understand their rights and provides them with job training, and psychosocial support so that they can rebuild their lives.
CARITAS
http://caritas.gr/en/caritas-home-en/
The purpose of the Organization is to create and implement actions and programs of humanitarian and philanthropic content, as well as to develop a spirit of solidarity within society. More precisely Caritas Hellas focuses on:
METAdrasi – Action for Migration and Development (NGO) that focuses on services not covered by the Public Authorities or other NGOs in Greece and is the only organization that retains a permanent front-line presence in all key entry and exit locations. METAdrasi operates mainly in the following two sectors, interpretation services and the protection of unaccompanied children. It offers specially trained interpreters in 43 languages and dialects to provide vital communication with refugees, legal support, and certification of victims of torture. It also escorts unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) from border detention centers to appropriate accommodation facilities throughout Greece and operates Transit Accommodation Facilities for UASC. Its activities range between: education, integration, interpretation, protection, mothers and children, unaccompanied children.
CONTACT DETAILS – https://metadrasi.org/en/home/
PRAKSIS (NGO) with main goal is the design, application and implementation of humanitarian programs and medical interventions. Their beneficiaries: Greek poor, homeless, uninsured, economic immigrants, asylum seekers/ refugees, unaccompanied minors, trafficking victims, sex workers, children begging in the streets, injection drug users, Roma, HIV seropositive people / PLWA, Hepatitis B and C patients, MSM (Men having Sex with Men), prisoners, people released from prisons, Greek families that face the repercussions of the financial crisis. PRAKSIS implements programs throughout Greece and mostly in Attica, Central Macedonia, Lesvos Island and Patras area. Their services relate to: Direct and free of charge Primary Health Care and Pharmaceutical Provision, Basic hygiene services (showers, hygiene kits, clothing etc), Psychological support, Social support, Work counseling and promotion to labor, Legal counseling, Financial support in specific programs, Side supportive services, Housing.
CONTACT DETAILS – https://www.praksis.gr/en/
ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth is a Non-Governmental Organization, specializing in the social support of youth that are in difficulty or danger and in the advocacy of their rights. The main target is the prevention of youth marginalisation, the elaboration of policies which defend youth rights and the active social support towards disadvantaged young people. ARSIS was established in 1992 and since then it operates in Athens, Thessaloniki, Volos, Alexandroupoli, Kozani and Tirana due to the active participation of members, volunteers and young people.
It provides services such as: psycho-social support, preparation for employment, legal support, educational support, temporary housing and food services for young people without home or in major difficulty, social and recreational mobilization.
CONTACT DETAILS – http://www.arsis.gr/en/home/
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is Denmark’s largest international non-governmental organisation actin in Greece at the following fields:
Site management support (SMS): One of the major ongoing gaps is the insufficient capacity to ensure that reception and accommodation facilities are dignified, well-staffed, culturally appropriate and respectful of humanitarian standards. DRC has taken up the role of Site management support in several sites across Greece, collaborating closely with the Greek Ministry of Migration Policy and other primary duty bearers in the provision of assistance and services.
Protection monitoring and legal aid: DRC is committed to establishing a protective environment and safeguarding human dignity for persons in Greece through protection monitoring, individual protection assistance, the creation of safe spaces for children and women and child protection services through a leading child relief agency. DRC is committed to establishing access to legal aid to those in need of international protection regularly.
Non-formal Education: DRC offers distinct non-formal education activities for school age children (7 to 15), youth (16-18) and adults in refugee hosting sites and urban centers where gaps have been identified. The activities are age-appropriate and conducted by qualified teachers and include Greek and English lessons, educational activities and excursions to places of interest.
CONTACT DETAILS – https://drc.ngo/where-we-work/europe/greece
Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity is a nonprofit organisation consisted of people with different origins who work together to promote equal participation in a diverse society, through the empowerment of communities, combining action and research, aiming to promote human rights, equality and diversity, fight racism, xenophobia and discrimination in general. Its main fields of action are: Legal Counselling & Intercultural Mediation, Career Counselling, Counselling to people of migrant origin, interested in the creation of a business or social enterprise, Non-formal Education, Advocacy, Facilitating access to work for vulnerable populations in Athens.
CONTACT DETAILS – https://g2red.org/
Medical support
They provide medical care free of charge, medication and implement vaccination programs etc.:
Doctors without Borders
MSF brings humanitarian medical assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion. Offers basic healthcare, perform surgery, fight epidemics, rehabilitate and run hospitals and clinics, carry out vaccination campaigns, operate nutrition centres, and provide mental healthcare. Activities include the treatment of injuries and disease, maternal care and the provision of humanitarian aid. Where necessary, we set up sanitation systems, supply safe drinking water, and distribute relief to assist survival.
Doctors of the World
Doctors of the World / Médecins du Monde – Greece (MdM-Greece), founded in 1990, is a medical humanitarian non-governmental organization and is a member of Médecins Du Monde International which consists of 16 delegations (Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Turkey, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States of America).
Red Cross
Information is provided for: Issues of refugees and asylum seekers (asylum procedure, residence permit, legal issues, etc.), Information on agencies, services and their respective benefits, Mediation and facilitation in agencies and services, Interpretation by telephone, Support and directions. The Hotline for Information and Refugee Support (Hotline) : +30 210 51 40 40 440 / What’s app / Viber: +30 6934 724 893
All organizations, NGOs etc. acting in the field run official websites, providing relevant info, in many cases there also project specific sites or platforms created. They all provide free of charge access to all potential users. Their content in many cases vary, language wise, the majority however presents info in English, French, Albanian, Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, Russian, and Swahili.
http://www.kep.gov.gr/portal/page/portal/kep/
Multi-lingual helpline Tel: 1564
Tel. 11320
http://www.ermis.gov.gr/portal/page/portal/ermis/
https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/en/homepage
http://www.eu-go.gr/sdportal/index.jsp?lang=EN
https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/index_en.htm
TRAINING TOOLS
Digital dictionary in 5 languages
https://www.metadrasi.org/lexiko/select_language.htm
The “Learn Greek” dictionary is a useful learning tool offered by METAdrasi for those who have just started learning Greek, and also for those who have basic Greek language skills that require support to improve their vocabulary. Includes:
This material is not intended to be a substitute to the program of systematic teaching-learning of the Greek language, but as a supportive learning tool. The aim of the dictionary is to facilitate linguistic communication and the understanding of the Greek language through useful examples and representations of scenes covering a wide range of daily activities.
Mini Lexicon for Basic Communication in 6 languages
https://metadrasi.org/en/campaigns/mini-lexicon-for-basic-communication/
Mini Lexicon for Basic Communication is a tool offered by METAdrasi to facilitate day-to-day communication between refugees and migrants with Greek or English-speaking persons. It is intended for the exchange of general information, as well as information on matters relating to living conditions, food, health and protection. Special chapters are included for women and unaccompanied children. To enable two-way interaction all entries are phonetically transcribed in Arabic, Farsi, Sorani, Kurmanji, Urdu, French and Greek and are available in English. Electronic versions of the Mini Lexicon are also available online and can be downloaded and printed according to one’s needs. Below, you can download the Mini Lexicon as PDF documents.
MAZI – The Multilingual guide for education in Greece
https://metadrasi.org/en/campaigns/mazi-multilingual-guide-for-education-in-greece/
“MAZI (Together): The Multilingual guide for education in Greece” was developed by METAdrasi to support the actions for the educational integration of vulnerable social groups. It is addressed to third country citizens and beneficiaries of international protection who mainly speak Arabic and Farsi or have basic communication skills in English. It provides, in the form of “Frequently Asked Questions”, basic and understandable information regarding the structures, the operations and the procedures of formal and non-formal education in Greece.
BUILD YOUR DIGITAL SKILLS: THE NEW FREE ONLINE COURSES BY SOLIDARITYNOW
https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/digital_skills/
An initiative of SolidarityNow, aimed at those who want to develop their digital skills and refine their knowledge on Internet, cyber-security, digital entrepreneurship and other contemporary themes.
REFUGEE.INFO
https://www.refugee.info/greece
Training material on topics like asylum procedures, work permissions, registering children for school, or finding a doctor, in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, French, Tigrinya and English. They are a nonprofit project, and work with partners, UN agencies, NGOs, governments, and refugees and asylum-seekers to make sure the information provided is as up-to-date and as useful as possible.
Greek Council for Refugees First Reception and Interpretation Unit
The interpreters communicate the social, historical and cultural elements that determine each case, and contribute to the methodical and effective function of the Unit, while facilitating the access of GCR’s beneficiaries to goods and services through their visits to detention centers, courts, hospitals, accommodation centers, etc. Interpreters provide their services in Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Samos, Rhodes, Chios, Lesvos, and Leros.
https://www.gcr.gr/en/our-work/our-services/first-reception-unit
GENERATION 2.0 RED
As a part of “Facilitating Access to Work for Vulnerable Populations in Athens” program, which is implemented with the support of the International Rescue Committee, GENERATION 2.0 RED published an Employability Guide, which contains in just a few pages all the material and issues discussed on Employability Workshops. This guide is in Greek & French but also in, English, Farsi & Arabic, aiming at providing all the tools a newcomer needs for an easier access to the Greek labor market. You can download both for free at https://g2red.org/employability-guide-tutorial-videos/ where you can also see 2 tutorial videos, one displaying step by step how you can write your CV online using the Europass format, and the other one displays how you may browse job adverts on the most popular websites in Greece and apply for a suitable job, using subtitles in English, Arabic & Farsi for a better understanding.
https://www.studyingreece.edu.gr/Home.aspx
Find your Bachelor or Master program, in one of the Higher Education Institutes in Greece. Learn how to apply and how to get there. Participate into a summer or winter school and get into the mood of studying in Greece. Study in Greece is fully endorsed and supported by the Hellenic Republic.
