Holistic Support for Refugees Arriving in Greece

Ahuge influx of refugees feeling violence in the Middle East and parts of Africa has overwhelmed Greece since 2015, now recognized as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. As of June 2018, Greece has absorbed some 60,000 refugees, with over 8,000 living in and around the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, many of whom need vital support in jumpstarting their new lives in Europe.

The Sindos Community Center, named for the suburb outside of Thessaloniki where some 500 refugees live in government sponsored housing for refugees, is the only local institution in the area providing essential support to these families and individuals. Each day more than 70 refugees come to the Community Center, where a holistic rehabilitation program offers job training, language classes, music and art therapy classes, and a child friendly space.

Throughout October, the Sindos Community Center hosted a number of workshops and trainings around the theme of living a more healthy lifestyle. This theme was initiated by members of the refugee community, who organized and recruited participants for these events.

In partnership with the Hellenic Red Cross, the Sindos Community Center provided first aid training sessions to over 45 community members in small groups: Arabic speaking women, Arabic and Kurdish speaking men, Farsi speakers, and French speakers. This aimed to decrease the need for interpretation, and maintain cultural norms consistent with the topics of discussion. Other workshops implemented included sessions on healthy eating, parenting skills, and oral health activities for children.

One of the center's volunteers, Dr. Daphna, began a weekly lecture series on healthy living. The first week dealt with nutrition, and the coming weeks will address combatting winter illnesses, preventing common skin problems, and additional topics per request from my community. Thus far, between 30 and 50 community members attended each lecture. By providing refugees with information about common health problems, they will be more able to support their families in leading a healthier life style, and will instill within them more confidence in solving problems on their own. This is one example of improving the community's resliency.

IsraAID's Northern Greece team also presented its programs to students in the Psychology Department at the Mediterranean College of Thessaloniki, aiming to involve more locals in providing essential psychosocial support to refugee. With IsraAID, students in these fields can gain experience in group facilitation and mental health trainings at the Sindos Community Center by offering additional support for the IsraAID professional staff.

The Sindos Community Center provides a safe and stable environment for refugees to get to know others from different cultural backgrounds, building familiarity and connections that serve to strengthen Greece’s intercultural fabric and support the emergence of new leaders from within the refugee community.

Thank you for your ongoing support!