26 February 2020

Press Release

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed today (26/02/2020) a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Church of Greece to strengthen cooperation in programs aiming at assisting unaccompanied migrant children in Greece.

IOM will support the efforts of the “Integration Center for migrant workers - ecumenical refugee programme” (KSTM – ERP), to establish new accommodation places in shelters to be financed by the Greek AMIF program.

“There is still a lot to be done when we talk about assistance to UMCs in Greece and the involvement of the Greek Church in this field is a very positive development. The professionalism and dedication of the Integration Center for migrant workers and its General Director, Archimandrite Panteleimon Papasinnefakis, is an asset we shall all benefit from”, said Gianluca Rocco, IOM Greece Chief of Mission.

IOM will support the re-construction and refurbishing of buildings identified by the Church of Greece as possible shelters for UMCs, while the management of the shelters will be organized by the Church of Greece through AMIF National funding.

“We are very pleased to welcome you. We are ready to help the unaccompanied children as much as we can, but under certain conditions. That is, the careful selection of children and the age determination for pedagogical and other reasons, from 6-12 and 13-17 years old. Under these circumstances we will do our best to support them, hoping that when these children grow up, they will remember everyone who helped them”, mentioned the Head of Church of Greece, Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Ieronimos.

The construction and refurbishing of the shelters will be implemented with the funds of the Council of Europe Bank (CEB).