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In 2021, refugee children and youth who arrive in Europe are forced to live on the streets, in public parks, and other precarious conditions in Greece. Our drop-in center offers a safe haven away from the harsh streets of Athens. Open every day from 10.00 to 18.00; refugee minors can access laundry facilities, showers, and even pick up new clothes. Alongside this, they can have a sandwich and refreshments and meet with our team and other kids.

Faros has always been a place of individual care, and the drop-in center is a haven in the city. The outreach team visits the street close to the drop-in center, where many unaccompanied minors sadly inhabit. Vulnerable and easily manipulated, these children are at risk of falling prey to those looking to do them harm. Our first priority is to find them and make ourselves known to them by building up trusting relationships, meeting them where they are, and offering them routes out of homelessness.

We partner with the Greek authorities and other organizations to help them access accommodation, understand their rights, and have their basic needs met. The drop-in center also hosts street football and life skill classes twice a week where we aim to give the minors essential skills to protect themselves against abuse better, manage emotions and relationships in a healthy way. This better equips them for further education and integration. All our activities are informed by the Faros holistic model of care and by building these kinds of relationships we get a chance to understand them and then to help them.

Faros remains dedicated to finding and supporting every minor alone in Athens. We believe in a better future for them, and it starts with a smile, a warm greeting, and an open door.

We are grateful for all the individuals that support our work among homeless refugee children, along with our partners at Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Fred Foundation, and Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe.