This past year, The Hellenic Initiative together with METADrasi, responded head-on to the refugee crisis in Greece.
Our grant to METAdrasi helped to establish the first ever transit centers for unaccompanied minors fleering war in the Middle East located on the islands of Lesvos and Samos. Read More
An accommodation facility was created for children from countries affected by violence and conflict, who have lost their parents or have been separated from them.
This is the second Transition Accommodation Facility for Unaccompanied Minors created at the borders of the country by METAdrasi with the sponsorship of The Hellenic Initiative; the first was opened in Lesvos in December 2015.
Besides hosting, the facilities in Lesvos and Samos offer children food, psychological and social support, interpretation services, medical care, as well as creative activities.
Moreover, there are legal support services at the facilities undertaking the search for relatives, in order to reunite children with them in another member-state of the European Union.
The aim of the accommodation facility is to ensure that these children, immediately upon their arrival on the island, are protected from trafficking and exploitation networks, offering them hospitality within a safe environment.
“Recognizing the importance of METAdrasi’s efforts, as well as the significant meaning of the sensitive issues it deals with, The Hellenic Initiative decided to contribute to its actions through the support of the second unaccompanied minors’ hospitality structure created by METAdrasi in Samos”
Michael Printzos, The Hellenic Initiative Director of Programming
