The context
THE SITUATION ON KOS
Our hub located in Kos town provides assistance to refugees who reside in the camp or have self-accommodated in the town, especially in their initial stages in Greece. Our primary focus is to cover gaps in basic needs and aid in peoples inclusion into society. Inclusion is crucial for the long-term well-being of refugees in Greece. However, there are numerous bureaucratic and technical obstacles, which can be overwhelming and demotivating. Additionally, once granted asylum, refugees in Greece do not receive any government aid to cover their fundamental requirements. These circumstances often lead to social exclusion and a decline in mental health. To prevent this, our Hub offers diverse support and a friendly space to spend the day for all refugees on Kos.
Our hub currently reaches approximately 800-1000 people each month.
OUR OUTPUT
FREE SHOP
Currently we distribute the following:
- Dry Food Items (through our freeshop, only for people who do not receive governmental support)
- Hygiene Items (through our freeshop)
- Clothes
OUR OUTPUT
COMMUNITY SPACE
In our community area we provide the following services:
- A safe and friendly community space/café for people to spend the day
- A Help Desk: Support to obtain the documents and services required in order to access accommodation, employment, education and healthcare,
- Language classes
- Community activities
OUR OUTPUT
JOB PLACEMENT
With our job placement programme, we place refugees in local tourism businesses. The Greek tourism industry benefits from labour and the refugees from job opportunities.
Through this initiative, we work closely with local tourism businesses to match refugees with available job openings. The benefits of our job placement programme are two-fold. Firstly, it helps the Greek tourism industry to address its labour needs. Secondly, it creates job opportunities for refugees, allowing them to improve their livelihoods and contribute to the local community.
