Child protection is at the core of Faros’ vision. Our staff is combing the streets of Athens seeking, supporting, and bringing unaccompanied refugee children to safety. Our drop-in centre is in the heart of the city and easily accessible. We provide a safe environment, hot meals, and psychosocial support to 100 boys and teenagers every week. Our shelter has also become home to 22 unaccompanied children. Children have access to legal services, education, and vocational training. But our vision goes even further. We strive to protect every child’s fundamental right to a childhood and equip them with the skills to face the future.
Services
Streetwork
Large numbers of unaccompanied children are left without comprehensive protection and find themselves living on the streets or in informal arrangements such as squats or public parks. Our street work team, consisting of a psychologist, social worker, and a cultural mediator conduct outreach work to find unaccompanied children and provide them with support and inform them about the services offered in the drop-in centre.
Services
Drop-in centre
The drop-in centre is open on all weekdays, and it is located in the centre of Athens, close to areas with many refugees. The purpose of the centre is to protect unaccompanied children and youth from harm, and to provide them with support and activities that will give them hope in their situation.
In the centre, we offer food, informal education, vocational training, and recreational and sports activities. Our staff of social workers, psychologists, lawyers, and cultural mediators – as well as numerous volunteers – provides supportive and specialized care to each child.
Services
Shelter
Faros’ shelter can host 24 unaccompanied refugee boys from the ages of 12 to 17. It is designed to be able to provide protection and immediately take in children from off the street. The shelter provides a temporary home to unaccompanied children, where the focus is to provide the best possible individual care to every child. Our approach is emphasized in our relationship with the children; we try to restore normality, guide them in critical life decisions, and enhance their curiosity and creativity through various activities.
"What the kids really need is to feel loved and special to have someone that can help them discover their worth and see their potential."
Patricia, Co-Founder
Services
Education
Our education and training centre provides a unique program for unaccompanied minors and refugee youth. We teach them a number of soft skills that can be used in all situations and the education component focuses specifically on finding creative solutions to the problems that the participant might be facing, or those around them.
Fundamentally psycho-social in nature, the Horizon Program supports and equips participants to live full, whole lives – its purpose is to provide opportunities, raise self-esteem and empower young refugees to take an active part in society. The program is developed in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) D-Lab.
