For many refugees arriving in Greece, Athens represents a city where they endeavour to establish a new life or await opportunities to relocate to a new country. However, they confront enormous challenges, including bureaucratic obstacles, high unemployment rates, and insufficient access to fundamental necessities such as food, shelter, and employment. The absence of state housing projects for refugees within the city and remote camp locations exacerbate the difficulty in accessing essential support services.
The Victoria Community Centre named after the nearby Athenian square is a multifunctional, collaborative, and community-based effort of 8 partner organizations to provide essential resources, support services, and a sense of belonging to the diverse population of the city and specifically the Victoria neighbourhood in Athens.
For the past two years, the Victoria Community Centre has stood as a beacon of unity and support in Athens, aiding hundreds of individuals daily from diverse backgrounds across over 40 countries.
The heart of the Victoria Community Centre are our community spaces, notably the café on the lower ground floor, the roof, and the backyard. These welcoming environments act as central hubs for connection, support, and network building. We provide the following:
Glocal Roots oversees the building management, partner coordination and financial management of the Victoria Community Centre. Monthly coordination meetings allow partners to exchange updates, address challenges, and plan joint events. Benefits for all partners include a staffed welcome desk that guides service users, answers inquiries, schedules consultations, and directs visitors appropriately. Security personnel and facility management are also shared advantages.
Le camp de la honte aux portes de l’Europe. Avec ce reportage, nous vous révélons ce qui se passe dans le camp de réfugiés de Samos, un véritable enfer aux portes de l’Europe, interdit d’accès aux observateurs.
This article was published online by Human Rights Pulse in February 2021.
The Plight of a Refugee Mother & her Daughter It’s November 2019. A chubby 5-month old baby, Ziba, rests on
Marianne Hollinger, alt Gemeindepräsidentin von Aesch, stellt nach ihrem Einsatz bei Glocal Roots in Griechenland Forderungen.
Im Zentrum «We are One» auf der Insel Samos haben Flüchtlingsfrauen für ein paar Stunden die Möglichkeit, dem traumatischen Alltag im Camp zu entfliehen. Hier engagiert sich auch Celine aus Uganda.
«Die Menschen leben hier Zelt an Zelt, ein hochansteckendes Virus geht um, und sie werden eingesperrt. Eine Eskalation ist die logische Konsequenz.»
Was, wenn sich das Coronavirus in den überfüllten Flüchtlingscamps in Griechenland ausbreitet? Fünf Schweizer Helferinnen und Helfer erzählen.
This article was published in Planet Mindful Magazine (UK) in January 2020.
