1 July 2020

PRESS RELEASE

CEB and IOM cooperate with the Church of Greece Non-Profit Organization in the safe accommodation of unaccompanied children in Greece

Utilizing funds made available by CEB, IOM actively supports the enhancement of accommodation facilities for unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) in Greece. The action aims at safeguarding the wellbeing of each unaccompanied child and ensuring provision of safe environment as foreseen by the Greek and EU laws.

The CEB funded project supports the refurbishment and small-scale repairs in facilities to be used as shelter for UMCs. In that context, IOM is cooperating with the “Integration Center for Migrant Workers - Ecumenical Refugee Programme” (KSTM – ERP) of the Church of Greece Non-Profit Organization, in three shelters, two located at the center of Athens and one in the region of greater Attica, providing furniture such as beds, desks, dining tables, the equipment of a recreational activities’ room and the supply of necessary kitchen and cleaning appliances. Special care has been taken for vulnerable cases through the installation of a stairlift elevator mechanism as well as a separate accessible toilet.

The “Integration Center for Migrant Workers - Ecumenical Refugee Programme” (KSTM – ERP) of the Church of Greece Non-Profit Organization, operates the day-to-day activities at the shelter also deploying on 24/7 basis a specialized multi-sectorial team covering the needs of the children. Each shelter can host up to 40 children.

The project “Increasing the number of long-term accommodation places for UMCs in Greece”, is implemented with the funding of MRF grant received from the Council of Europe Development Bank and facilitates the establishment of long-term accommodation shelters for unaccompanied children, who live in reception and identification centers, protective custody and hotels and are in need of a safe and secure long term accommodation solution.

For more information please contact Christine Nikolaidou - IOM Greece,

Email: cnikolaidou@iom.int tel +30 210 9919 040 (ext.248)