By Eleni Agapiou | Comms & FR Coordinator
When systems fall apart, people still need somewhere to go
In 2025, life for refugees and asylum seekers on Lesvos became significantly harder.
Access to healthcare, legal support, education, and even basic financial assistance continued to shrink. Essential services were withdrawn, leaving many without support at the very moment they needed it most. Mental health care remains critically limited, children are left without consistent access to education, and families face abrupt transitions into homelessness after receiving refugee status .
In this landscape, Selamet exists as a place that fills these gaps — not only with services, but with stability, care, and continuity.
The story shared here is a small fragment of one woman’s journey, a journey through displacement, fear and exhaustion, but also through the possibility of finding safety, rebuilding strength and imagining a future again.
For many women who arrive on Lesvos, safety, dignity and care are not guaranteed. Yet within communities of solidarity, it becomes possible to regain a sense of stability, for themselves and for their children.
Women’s empowerment is not just a principle.
It is the possibility to rebuild your life, to have your voice heard, and to dream again.
[…]
“When I was living there (CCAC), I was suffering. I still remember the incredible wind, the kind that felt like it could lift you up every time I went out to get food.
In the food line, people would push me even when I was holding my child..
Many times, I didn’t even know where to go to get food. I was confused and often ended up in the line where the men were getting their food.
I remember when I gave birth, I was very weak and had no milk because of the poor food I was eating.”
[…]
“During my stay (at the shelter), I was able to find calm and put my thoughts in order: about myself, about Patrick, and about our future. Knowing that my child was in a safe place and had enough to eat allowed me, for the first time in a long while, to truly relax.”
[…]
“What I appreciated most was the sense of belonging I found in the house. It felt like a small, living community where I had the opportunity to coexist with people from different cultures and backgrounds. It meant a lot to me to be in a place where my voice mattered, where people listened with care and where I felt valued as a person, not just as a guest.”
[…]
“I will go to Athens and do my best to adapt. I am thinking of finding a job, and then a school for Patrick. After that, my goal is to have my own home — that is my destination and my biggest dream.
When I am independent, I want to be able to help other people, to guide those who at the beginning will feel lost and afraid, just like I once did.”
A home, but also something more
In 2025, 48 individuals were hosted in Selamet, including 19 children as young as one month old .
Behind this number are women and families navigating complex realities:
Gender-based violence alone accounted for 36% of all referrals, confirming that protection needs remain urgent and deeply gendered .
Selamet responds to this not as a shelter alone, but as a structured support environment.
Throughout the year:
These are not just services — they are the small, necessary steps that allow someone to begin rebuilding a life.
From protection to autonomy
What makes Selamet different is that it does not operate in isolation.
It is part of a wider ecosystem.
Through the Mosaik Support Center, residents access education and skills:
Education becomes more than knowledge — it becomes confidence, structure, and direction .
At the same time, practical pathways to independence are actively supported.
In 2025:
9 women secured employment
This is a critical outcome in a context where access to work is one of the biggest barriers to integration.
Meeting basic needs with dignity
Beyond housing and education, daily survival remains a challenge.
Through initiatives like Nan Solidarity Kitchen, over:
Nan was more than a food distribution point — it was a place of connection, information, and dignity, especially for those left without any financial support after the suspension of state assistance .
Even after its closure, the need it responded to remains.
The unseen work that makes everything possible
Selamet operates through a multidisciplinary team:
But equally important is the network around it.
During the year, the team collaborated with dozens of organizations, from hospitals and legal actors to community groups, ensuring that each person could access the services they needed.
This coordination is what transforms isolated interventions into real pathways forward.
Why this matters now
Today, the system expects refugees to become self-reliant, but without providing the conditions to do so.
People lose housing, financial support, and healthcare access almost overnight.
Selamet exists in that gap.
It provides:
Looking ahead
The demand for housing continues to exceed capacity:
36 referrals for 64 individuals in one year
This means that for every person supported, others remain without access.
At the same time, the results show what is possible:
A simple truth
Selamet is not just about housing.
It is about creating the conditions where someone can move from:
survival → stability → autonomy
And in a context where systems are increasingly absent,
this transition matters more than ever.
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