I wish our house here [the SOS Children’s Villages
accommodation] was even bigger in order to host more
children facing major problems like the ones I did until
I came here and I received love and care from you [SOS
Children’s Villages staff].
Here… I have learned so many things in so little time; I
feel I am better as a person because of that and I will
definitely need and use this knowledge in the future.
16-year-old boy from Afghanistan
Each child receives legal advice and legal rep-
resentation throughout the asylum and migra-
tion procedures including family reunification,
asylum and return procedures. A lawyer acts as
a link and facilitates communication among the
relevant stakeholders such as the Greek Asylum
Service and the Prosecutor’s Office, follows up
on individual cases throughout the relevant
procedures and continuously informs children
on developments regarding legal procedures
affecting them.
Re-establishing or maintaining communication
with the birth family and family reunification
procedures are among the project’s key pri-
orities. In addition to legal support, material
support is provided when necessary to facilitate
contact between children and their families
(e.g. mobile phones, SIM cards or free Wi-
Fi). Further, the project staff works to build
relations of trust with the parents to agree on
common approaches and to seek their support
to make the children aware of the risks of engag-
ing in irregular work and relying on smugglers
to leave the country irregularly. Parents are
urged to encourage their children to seek legal
channels either to settle in Greece or to reunite
with their family in another European country.
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Staff also facilitate access to the national
healthcare system. An informal network is in
place to ensure prompt referral and access to
medical services and to address any challenges,
for example those related to communication or
the lack of interpretation services.
All children are enrolled at schools, some of
them at schools specialising in intercultural
education. In order to ensure children’s right
to education, the staff work closely with school
directorates and assist children with their
studies and homework. The staff regularly visit
the schools where children are enrolled and
attend relevant meetings to discuss children’s
academic performance or other challenges they
may face. When necessary they adjust the tu-
toring provided after school according to school
requirements and the children’s needs.
In addition to formal schooling, the project
offers multiple informal educational activities
that include, for example, language courses,
tutoring and computer courses; it also organises
recreational sports, arts and cultural activities
as well as outdoor field trips. Many of these
activities are developed in close cooperation
with local actors and make use of community
resources. Moreover, the staff organise activities
designed to inform and raise awareness among
the public and in the local community on issues
associated with the protection of unaccompa-
nied and separated children and to facilitate the
inclusion and integration of the children.
Finally, those children who are approaching the
18 are prepared for employment. Specialised
staff such as social workers support them in
obtaining a work permit and other required
documents from government authorities, advise
on employment and vocational training and
help young people to draft their CVs and to
apply for jobs.