Our Projects

Emerging Communities: Empowerment for social engagement, self-organization and development of local solutions.

This project brings together 8 partners from 6 European countries: INWOLE (Germany), Im Wandel (Germany), Ethos (Denmark), Communitism (Greece), GKP (Serbia), Italia che Cambia (Italy), Open cultural center (Spain) and Ethos – Thessaloniki (Greece).

The main objective of this project, is to stimulate social engagement and active citizens participation in relation to diverse social, political, economical and environmental problems and to empower grass-root institutions (projects, initiatives, communities and networks), which can provide sustainable local solutions. We want to emphasize the importance of local cooperation, solidary models of self-organization and social innovation in meeting diverse challenges, but especially the relevance of expertise and solutions developed through them and their applicability in wider and diverse social contexts. In this way we intend to underline the relevance and importance of civil society and its grass-root organizations for the overall development of our societies.

Empowering communities of Greece with knowledge on sustainable practices of commoning in housing and use of space.

Greece is currently taking the first steps in establishing cooperative spaces and co-housing projects. This project will introduce Greek associations and communities to a diverse spectrum of successful examples of cooperative spaces and co-housing projects, in order get accustomed to the mentality of collective strategic planning and decision making, and to support the development of knowledge and capacity in matters of system design and executive tasks.

Greek communities will receive inspiration and development tools in order to implement community-based models in the Greek reality. This will be done through a series of educational events, knowledge sharing and training activities.

Participants will explore different co-housing models and they will visit different successful communities and their cooperative projects. Participants will receive training in the form of courses on administrative, accounting, legal, fundraising and other technical issues that will support the development of the knowledge and key competencies they need for their projects.

This project is a collaboration between the Greek Network for the Right to Shelter and Housing, associations Ethos and Communitism and the German association Inwole.

Pervolarides of Thessaloniki and Ethos humanitarian association are regenerating community relations and public spaces through social cooperation and community solidarity actions.

Based on food and the relations that form throughout the food cycle (from seeding, cultivation, crop collection, processing and cooking, to reclaiming and re-processing food that would be wasted), we run a social kitchen, plant urban gardens and nurture abandoned public spaces together with people from diverse local and refugee communities, who join into groups with common concerns and interests in solidarity actions and creative social activities.  

Community cooking is our basis for nourishing social inclusion and cooperation. Every week we cook and prepare hot food that we distribute to homeless and people in need. Both locals and refugees come together to meet their neighbours, to cook and learn new recipes and to share their love for food and for helping people who are in need.

We are reclaiming food, by collecting products that are expiring and dry food in faulty packing that markets can’t sell as well as fruits, vegetables and fish that otherwise would be dumped. By forming a “social cooperative chain” every week these products are gathered, processed, re-packed into food packs or cooked into hot meals that are distributed to homeless and people in need.

We organise solidarity olive collection each November and work together with the bee populations to produce organic honey. We grow urban gardens and share ecological methods of food cultivation and sustainable food processing, through training activities and workshops that offer vocational skills and create employment possibilities.

Through our collective activities we directly support people in need to become self-sufficient and to overcome discrimination and social isolation. In parallel, we facilitate inclusion and the regeneration of community relations by mobilising locals and refugees together into social solidarity actions and joined activities that plant the seeds for social innovation, cross-cultural synergies and greater community integration.

Our activities envision not just the environmental regeneration of the soil and public space of our neighbourhoods but also the regeneration of human relations and social philanthropy. We create democratic hubs where people come together without hierarchical structures and cultural limitations, to express freely and equally in solidarity with their neighbours and to collectively offer their help to people in need. Through these hubs, we generate social mobility and foster equality and philanthropic innovation within society, while nourishing social synergies and cooperation between neighbours with diverse socio-cultural background.

Our activities, their impact and our community

Community cooking: Every Friday, a group of locals and refugees come together and cook around 100 portions of hot food for homeless and people in need. In 2018, we prepared approx. 4000 hot meals, while in 2019 we estimate that another 4000 hot meals have been cooked and distributed, in addition to food packs that count for 1000 meals. In every community cooking activity around 10 people are involved (pick-up of donated food, cooking, packing, distribution of hot meals). For 2020 our goal is to prepare and distribute 6000 hot meals plus food packs that will count for 2000 meals. This will expand our community cooking activity to 2 days per week with 20 people participating on a weekly basis.

Reclaiming food: For our cooking ingredients and for sauce, marmalade and pickles processing we rely on donations from markets, shops and from our volunteer network. In 2018, we received and processed an estimated quantity of 10 tonnes of food that would go wasted and roughly the same amount of food has been reclaimed during 2019. We would like this social cooperative chain to expand further and make full use of the growing network of “food waste” donations, so by the end of 2020 our goal is to double to 20 tonnes the amount of reclaimed food that we will collect and use for cooking, processing and distributions.

Since 2018 we have been facilitating several cleaning events and garbage removal in our nearby forest. We also organized 10 community feasts, where locals and refugees cooked and ate together, planted seeds, created an urban garden and trained 10 people in the art of beekeeping and the construction of beehives. In 2019, we facilitated and supported 10 workshops and neighbourhood events and we wish to support even more community initiatives turn into collective actions. For 2020 we would like to facilitate 15 workshops on beekeeping, urban gardening, food processing and to train at least 30 people in any of these.  

In 2019, we also began to organise the collection of clothes and baby items for very poor families living in refugee camps and to respond to emergency needs of the wider community. We wish to continue mobilising the community in helping people with urgent needs and to facilitate further connections between everyone who wants to offer their free time and skills in the community. For 2020 we would like to support at least 5 new community initiatives to grow into major public campaigns and to become collective actions based on the needs of the community – that is, any requests on needs that derive from the community will be evaluated and supported in relation to community engagement and mobilization.  

Since December 2016, Pervolarides have been running a social space and community meeting place in the area of Toumpa, which is also the base for our community gatherings and our food processing activities. Over the years we are seeing our community expanding and becoming stronger and more diverse. We are witnessing social synergies and community relationships growing and developing further connections and cooperation with initiatives across Greece such as Oikopolis, Bioscoop, Geitonia Svolou/Parko Tsepis, Domatio tis Geitonias, Naomi, Arogi Thessalonikis, Filoxenia, Centre of natural farming in Edessa, Perichoresis, Alkyone day centre, Omnes, Red Cross MFC, Communitism Sociocultural Centre, Open Cultural Centre and the network for volunteer coordination in northern Greece. Currently we are also part of the URBACT working group (which is led by the municipality of Thessaloniki and financed by the European Union), that targets the dissemination of good practices around urban food cultivation and the creation and maintenance of urban gardening projects. In public media, we have been part of 2 documentary films for “Antidrastirio” in ET3 national TV, several articles of “ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ”, “Makedonia‘’ and “Parallaxi” and also interviewed for the German media JungeWelt and “Neos Kosmos’’ newspaper from Melbourne.

Our community is a point of reference for social innovation and cooperation, a space where abilities, ideas and wasted resources unite and form dynamic social actions and strong supportive relations; a ground that cultivates community integration and empowers people to come together in solidarity and to co-create resilient and self-reliant communities where divisions and inequalities are healed through collective actions. We nurture a democratic society where people join around their needs, skills and resources and collectively mobilise to overcome exclusion and discrimination and to co-create a dignified and peaceful living environment for themselves and their neighbours. 

Peer to Peer Learning and Knowledge Exchange on Migration – Public space, housing & right to the city

Two study visits for activists involved in housing projects between Greece and Germany, with the purpose of sharing knowledge and experience, foster collaboration and exchange of expert advice on ways to establish and develop sustainable social housing projects in Greece.

The first visit took place in Greece in May 2019, and the second visit took place in August 2019.

You can read the full report on this project here:

Poverty Alleviation and Women’s Empowerment through Microenterprises – An Initiative in Western Orissa –

The state of Orissa in the eastern part of India is considered to be one of the poorest in the country. The population suffers from high morbidity due to under-nutrition, as well as endemic malaria and other poverty associated diseases. The area is characterised by high infant and neonatal mortality rates (100 and 115 per 1000) and the spread of HIV/AIDS is alarming. The literacy rate ranges between 63 % in rural areas and 84 % in urban areas and is estimated that 61% of the population lives below the poverty line and 30% is undernourished. 

The population is primarily engaged in agriculture and small scale commercial activities but there are few employment opportunities providing very low wages. As a result of poverty, the outmigration of workers is very high both for men and women. The conditions arising due to outmigration are numerous including poor working conditions, lack of access to education and health facilities, children dropping out from school, exploitation and other forms of violence and discrimination.

Ethos and our local partners Parinaama have been working in Western Orissa since 2010. So far we have been able to establish one sewing micro-enterprise in Sonepur that provides continuous employment to 25 women and ongoing training to 25 different women every quarter. Parallel to this, we have supported the formation of a self help cooperative (AAKRITI) and we are developing their capacity to manage their supply chain and market their products in the global fair trade market. Based on the success of this project, we have been able to acquired a second building in Raximunda and all the equipment to create a second micro-enterprise that could employ 75 more women. The same facility will also be used as a training centre where young people can be trained and equipped with different skills that can help them generate a sustainable income. 

Besides improving life for women and young people in the target communities, these projects directly support local weavers and local cotton and silk farmers by obtaining all raw materials directly from the producers in a fair trade way. Through this activity, local economy grows and many people in different communities are inspired to form local micro-enterprises and join AAKRITI cooperative with their creations. As a result, the community itself can reverse the trend of outmigration and experience growth and livelihood security. Conditions of life are steadily improving for all those involved in this project while the social impact can be observed in the way people, and local authorities support and promote our activities.

The success and growth of this project is a result of voluntary work from our local partners and our creative members. The buildings were provided and renovated by the District Administration of Sonepur and Balangir districts, the sewing equipment was donated by Topworth Foundation for Social Development and Singhdeo Foundation, while all other costs related to bringing everything together and starting up were supported by Lauritzen Fund.We are grateful to all who shared their skills and united their resources for making a difference in the life of people in Western Orissa 

Protection, psychosocial support and education for unaccompanied refugee children that become adults in Greece

Project Rationale
Unaccompanied refugee children comprise a significant 10-15% of all refugee arrivals per year. There are 3,270 unaccompanied children in Greece, of which 2,321 are on the waiting list for shelter placements (EKKA, January 2018). Most come from Pakistan, Afghanistan and North African countries making them less eligible to receive asylum in Europe. Because of this and because of previous negative experiences with official institutions in other counties, many children are hesitating to seek protection and instead they hide in fear and survive without access to services and proper accommodation. Some of these children end up living in protective police custody or in refugee camps, while many are living in informal accommodations, squats or in places unknown to us, where they are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by criminals and gangs. At the age of 18 an unaccompanied child is no longer classified as vulnerable and loses any right to protective accommodation and support available to minors. Having survived the most difficult experiences, from violence and forced displacement to prosecution, homelessness, detention and institutionalisation, these young adults face a very hard transition into adult life. Once an adult, the unaccompanied young refugee can no longer seek protection and becomes further exposed to homelessness, abusive behaviour and sexual exploitation.

Taking into consideration the importance of this transition for the life and psychological development of the young refugee, the lack of appropriate accommodation and the absence of targeted services for this particular population group, our project’s rationale is to provide a safe and nourishing environment where unaccompanied children are supported and empowered to pursue their dream.

Our Approach
Transitioning into adulthood can be a huge step for any child. For a refugee child in a foreign country without their family and community support, it can be a very difficult and traumatic period. Unaccompanied children who turn 18 require specialised attention, mentoring and psychosocial support to ensure that their physical, social and emotional needs are met. They need safe accommodation, proper nutrition, access to education, vocational opportunities and substantial help in becoming economically self-reliant, away from the dangers of exploitation and criminal activities.

Our approach is centred around 3 main pillars: Protection, Psychological Support and Education. Safe accommodation and nutrition is provided to unaccompanied children that turn 18 for an initial period of 6 months, with extended support that facilitates their transition into independent living. To ensure this transition happens in the best and quickest way possible, each young person works closely with our integration team to develop an individualised education plan, a tailor-made activity roadmap that becomes their path to social and economic integration.

Every young person that enters our program receives assistance with asylum and governmental processes (AFM, AMKA, OAED), access to cash support services and social solidarity benefits (in cooperation with UNHCR and Red Cross), access to public school, language classes, vocational training courses and life skills development activities. Our aim is to equip them with all the necessary skills for independent living and as they become more emotionally and financially ready to exit the project, to support them in moving into their own apartment.

At the heart of our approach is psychosocial support, as we recognise the importance of emotional and psychological safety for young individuals who have been exposed to multiple, potentially traumatic events. A team of trained psychosocial workers (social worker, psychologist, therapist) work together with the young people to help them process and overcome difficult experiences. Through group and individualised activities, our young participants receive specialised and tailor-made support that enables them to develop the necessary skills, resources and qualities for building their new life in Greece, or any other country they might eventually reside.

The project is further designed to be easily expandable in urban locations and to free up an increasing number of places in shelters and safe zones, which will in turn become available to accommodate children that are currently homeless or living in detention. To ensure that our services reach children who would benefit the most, we are in close cooperation with local and international protection organisations that are currently hosting unaccompanied children in Greece (Red Cross, IRC, ARSIS, PRAKSIS) and we receive referrals from across the country. Our team has further established close working relationships with UNHCR, the Ministries of Education and Migration Policy, the municipality of Thessaloniki and REACT partnering municipalities, while our approach and activities are represented in the Urban Coordination meeting at the municipal level and in the protection sector working group at Governmental/UN/NGO level.

Project Overview
Our protective apartment has 6 bedrooms with total accommodation capacity of 12 young people.

To ensure that our services are supporting the people who would benefit the most from our approach, there are specific criteria for participation. Each young person:

• must be between 18-21 years old, or turning 18 within the next 2-3 months
• must be a legal resident or intent to apply for asylum or residency in Greece
• must have basic knowledge of Greek or English language and the desire to learn
• must be willing to develop and follow an individualised educational/vocational plan
• must not have any criminal activity background or express antisocial behaviour
• must have no record of alcohol and drug abuse or addiction behaviour

A sequence of briefings and interviews are conducted to ensure that the young people who enter the programme understand our aim and approach, and to give us the opportunity to better understand their background and needs. The selected participants review and sign a contract that defines the function and objectives of the programme and move into the protective apartment. The length of stay is agreed at 6 months but given the individual differences, each participant’s progress is evaluated and adequately supported if there is a need to extend. During the entire period of their stay, all participants have access to the following services:

• Public school and technical/vocational school (EPAL)
• Educational/vocational training programmes and scholarships
• Language courses and individualised lessons (Greek, English, German)
• Psychological support and counselling from qualified psychotherapists
• Accompaniment to health care and medical services
• Legal aid and assistance with asylum and governmental processes
• Access to cash services and social solidarity benefits
• Life skills courses/activities (i.e. cooking, home economics)
• Employability counselling and job readiness workshops
• Links to employment services and work opportunities
• Sports, cultural events and social inclusion activities

Once the participants are emotionally and financially ready to transition into independent living, we will provide the necessary support to help them identify and rent their own or shared accommodation and when possible, a limited assistance with their first expenses and basic needs for their new home.

Together with the young people that we host, we are creating a safe space, a home and a community where they can always find support and receive professional advice and guidance even after they leave the project.

Educational support to socially excluded Dalit girls through income generation in Theni District, Tamil Nadu, South India.

We have engaged in a project in Tamil Nadu in South India that aims at providing elementary school to some of the poorest girls in the area, namely the Dalit girls. Each day, millions of Indian children are waking up with nothing to look forward to besides numerous hours of hard labour in jobs where they are being exploited. Children as young as 5 years old are kept from going to school and instead they are being forced to work 7 days a week for up to 18 hours a day, which leaves them with nothing except a less than minimal income, a large amount of injuries, disorders and pain.

This continued exploitation and enslavement of children creates an evil trap where Dalit families are kept in a vicious cycle of slavery, illiteracy and poverty. Dalit families are considered the outkast of the Hindu society, and particularly girls are considered the lowest of all, sometimes regarded lower than animals. They are completely isolated from education, mainly because it is considered a waste of time and money, as the families are exptremely poor due to lack of education, and therefore lack of employment and opportunities.

Poverty and illeteracy are two major problems that are highly concentrated among Dalit families in Tamil Nadu. Education is considered a waste of time and money, and most children grow up in slums where they either help their parents during the day, or wander around the slums getting into trouble or being exploited. These unfortunate children are often left illiterate and are suffering from different types of health problems, and thus, they are found in a cruel twist of fate, since they are not very likely to find employment once they reach adulthood. Free elementary education is constitutionally madatory in India, which theoretically means that children between 6-14 would be able to go to school at no charge.

However, this is not the case for most Dalit children. At many schools, there are certain ”hidden” school fees, that the families are not able to pay, as well as the cost of uniforms, school books, stationary, food, transport etc. Dalit families are traditionally working in the agricultural sector, but the recent rise in unemployment has left many dalit families with little or no income. The unstable weather conditions in South India has made its impact on agriculture and unemployment has risen significantly. This makes it hard for people to secure an income, which makes education an even lower priority.

The project is based on the idea of animal husbandry; the distribution of milk cows. This concept is supported by the indian government as it has proven a succesful tool in relation to income generation for indian families. The families will be trained in taking care of animals and trading milk products. The nutritious fresh milk will also improve the nutrition level of the children in the family. One cow per family can be enough to pay for the education of 2-3 children!As education is one of the greatest tools to reduce poverty, it is important to send more children to school as this will give them better opportunities in order to bring change to their lives and imporve the living standards in the community. It is necessary to support the families in order to prioritize the education of their children. If the level of education rises, it will bring hope in the area, as it will bring new ideas and initiatives.