Relief for Refugees in Greece's Largest Camp

As we mentioned in our previous report, we (like many NGOs) are no longer allowed inside Ritsona or any other refugee camp in Greece. Initially, we were hoping that the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, which has authority over the camps, would reverse this decision. By now though, it has unfortunately become clear that we will likely never regain access. It is part of a set of politically-calculated policy changes introduced over the past few years that have gradually made it harder for humanitarian organizations to reach the populations that need their support.

Accordingly, with heavy hearts, we have decided to close this GlobalGIving Project. 

This is a major setback for the hundreds of children, teens, and women who found relief and psychosocial support through the safe spaces and activities we at Lighthouse Relief offered inside Ritsona every day for the past seven years. 

AND YET, THIS DOES NOT SIGNAL THE END OF OUR SUPPORT FOR THE PEOPLE LIVING IN RITSONA CAMP!

Thanks in part to our loyal GlobalGiving donors, we quickly adapted to the new circumstances by launching a pilot project to transport children from the camp to off-site venues where we run sports and other activities. Now we are five months in, and we are happy to report that attendance is consistently high, and the children love it! Most of them rarely have an opportunity to see anything beyond the camp’s foreboding prison-like walls, so they appreciate the “field trips” a lot! 

Our activities include football, basketball, dance, and yoga for kids aged five and up, plus separate women-only sessions.  For some activities, we cooperate with local clubs, allowing the children to interact with local peers and start building ties in the non-refugee community. 

We are excited to continue and expand our offerings for the people living in refugee camps throughout Greece, despite not being allowed inside. And we hope you will continue to be part of our journey. Soon we will launch a microproject to raise for this new phase of support for the people of Ritsona, so stay tuned! 

In the meantime, our project Provide Safe Harbour to People Seeking Refuge is still going strong. It provides life-saving support in the form of food and shelter for some of the most vulnerable refugee families in Greece. It also improves their access to social services, language classes, vocational training, job placement, legal aid, mental health support and more so they can start to rebuild their lives and flourish in their adopted homeland. 

We would greatly appreciate it if you would consider rolling your support over to this other project. Fundraising has been more challenging than ever this year due to fewer grant opportunities and the pinch many individual supporters feel from rising living costs and inflation. We understand the difficulties many of you face, and we empathize with you. At the same time, if you can spare even a few dollars every month, it really makes a big difference in our ability to keep our services going and plan for the future so we can meet new needs as they arise. 

Regrettably, we expect Greece to continue receiving thousands of people arriving annually under desperate circumstances. We commit to enforcing the humanitarian protections they are entitled to by law and filling the gaps in those protections when necessary.  With your help, we can continue to be there for them, providing safe harbour for as long as they need us. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  

Links:

• Follow us on social media
• Our website
• Our last newsletter

This report period  began as usual with more women frequenting our female friendly space, teens training on the volleyball team, and toddlers  clamouring to play together in the Little Lighthouse. However, in mid-January, we received notice that we would lose access to the camp at the end of the week. After seven years of continuously providing trauma-informed support people there, it came as a shock. 

The decision by the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum applied to many NGOs providing much-needed services to people living in camps across the country. It intends to make it harder for civil society to support people seeking refuge in Greece, reflecting the growing hostility towards refugees. We are doing everything we can to get permission to resume our activities to support the psychosocial well-being of residents during a period of heightened stress. 

In the meantime, we support the population as best as we can from outside the camp. Every week we bring  kids aged 5-15 from Ritsona to play basketball with Greek peers in the nearby town of Chalkida with a local basketball club. These sessions have been running for one month and receive positive feedback from the kids and their parents. 17 kids attended the first session and 26 the second. After every session more and more families are signing up.

It’s an  opportunity for participants to release stress, interact with Greek peers,  build confidence, and learn key life skills such as teamwork. Additionally, twice per week run activities such as arts and crafts just outside the camp gates. While limited space, proximity to a road, and lack of materials make the setup less ideal than working inside the camp, at least it is a means for us to continue serving residents. We want them to know that we have not abandoned them and will continue to support their well-being however we can. 

We are grateful for your support, especially during this difficult transition and period of uncertainty. Because you care about them, the children of Ritsona can still rely on us for support in coping with incredibly challenging circumstances. 

In Solidarity,

Alana Chloe Esposito

What has been happening in Ritsona Camp?

Refugees and asylum seekers in Ritsona have endured prison-like walls erected around their camps and endured reduced access to food, housing support, and cash assistance while coping with harsh new policies that make it harder to apply for asylum and more likely to be rejected. Nearly two-thirds became ineligible for food and cash assistance. Some parents keep their children home from school to sleep longer and conserve energy. More recently, the camp experiences daily two-hour water cuts, which come at different times every day. Meanwhile the situation for NGO’s is becoming increasingly hostile, the security gate is fully operational and we are the last remaining grassroots NGO allowed to operate in Ritsona Camp. We have stood steadfast in our commitment to provide safe spaces, early childhood development, sport, recreational, and educational activities to children, teens, young adults and women. 

We reopened our Female Friendly Space

Thanks to all of the wonderful donors we were able to reopen our Female Friendly Space, a safe space in Ritsona Camp, where women and girls can gather in comfort to socialise, unwind, and engage in activities without fear. Women from around the world come together to  do henna, manicures, be creative, or simply chat over a warm drink. Located next to Little-Lighthouse, the women can spend time recharging while their children play, dance and learn next door. 

The Camp’s younger residents learnt about health 

Meanwhile, for the camp’s younger residents we launched a healthy living campaign, developing  games that focus on health awareness, and distributing tools to correspond to the session, and distributed a health awareness manual in four languages. We have:

• 350 children attended our health awareness sessions
• We distributed 577 tools, such as tooth-brushes, water-bottles, sponges and soaps.
• Many of the children have begun implementing healthy habits, using water bottles and packed lunches, and telling their parents about what they learnt. 

Through health awareness and sports sessions, the children of Ritsona have opportunities to develop friendships, build resilience, and improve their ability to regulate their emotions.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts to relieve some of the worst effects of forced migration. We are grateful that you have chosen to partner with us on this journey to provide flexible, dignified support to the children and young people of Ritsona camp. 

If you have any questions or would like additional information, don't hesitate to reach out at hoc@lighthouserelief.org. 

Lighthouse Relief has been providing dignified psychosocial support to children, teens, and young adults in Ritsona refugee camp since 2016. The camp is located in a sparse industrial area 75 km from Athens. Our inviting cluster of cheerfully decorated ISO containers and outdoor areas stand as a beacon of hope and light amidst mostly drab surroundings enclosed by high, prison-like walls. As safe spaces to gather, play, and learn, Lighthouse offers a place where children can be children and the whole community can partake in activities to regain a semblance of normalcy.

Who do we support in Ritsona? 

The population has recently fluctuated between 2,100 and 2,600. The majority of residents come from Afghanistan (33%) and Syria (32%). Approximately 40% are children. On average, they spend two years in camp while waiting for a decision on their asylum claim, during which they have no access to the formal labour market. Some recognized refugees also continue living in the camp because it is nearly impossible to find housing and jobs within the 30 days of supported accommodation they are granted upon receiving protection. Recent arrivals include higher percentages of unaccompanied children, single mothers, and survivors of gender violence or discrimination, including people who identify as LGBTQI+.

What are the conditions like in camp? 

Conditions in the camp have deteriorated over the past few months. This spring, a security gate went up at the entrance, restricting NGO access and limiting supplies that can be brought in. Additionally, as the UN's International Organization for Migration gradually transfers responsibility for managing the camp to the Greek ministry of migration and asylum, some services have been cut or disrupted. Most NGOs have left, and some resident-run shops were demolished. Moreover, one-third of residents have neither access to food nor cash assistance as a result of recent policy changes (please see the attached article). Tensions are rising as a result of increasing hardship.

What do we do to support the psychosocial well-being of people in Ritsona?

Under these increasingly harsh conditions, children, teens, and young adults need more support for social interaction, personal development, and stress relief. We continue to provide early childhood development, sports, and recreational and educational activities for residents aged 3 to 25. While we never waver from our commitment to support camp residents' psychosocial well-being, our activities constantly evolve in response to changing needs and circumstances. 

We recently expanded offerings for girls and young women, such as female-only football sessions and female-friendly activities in the Youth and Community Center. Many of the games we run incorporate wet sponges or water to beat the scorching summer heat. Additionally, we resumed English classes and started individual and group music lessons for teens. Finally, we launched a health initiative to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining good hygiene, a balanced diet, and physical exercise through sports-derived games for children with accompanying health manuals to share with their parents. As always, we strive to make our spaces inclusive and welcoming. Toward that end, we have incorporated new tolerance-building activities into our games for young children after noticing some instances of racist behaviour. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts to relieve some of the worst effects of forced migration. We are grateful that you have chosen to partner with us on this journey to provide flexible, dignified support to the children and young people of Ritsona camp. 

If you have any questions or would like additional information, don't hesitate to reach out at hoc@lighthouserelief.org. 

In Solidarity,

Chloe

Links:

• Al Jazeera article on limited food access in camps
• Social media post showcasing girls' football

Lighthouse Relief established a presence in Ritsona in 2016, with the aim of providing dignified psychosocial support. Our inviting cluster of cheerfully decorated ISO containers and outdoor areas stand as a beacon of hope and light amidst mostly drab surroundings. As safe spaces to gather, play, learn, Lighthouse has created a place where children can be children, and the whole community can partake in activities to regain a semblance of normalcy. 

Now in spring of  2022, needs in Ritsona are greater than ever. Recent arrivals to camp include higher percentages of unaccompanied children, single mothers, and survivors of gender violence or discrimination, including people who identify as LGBTQI+. Only 1,000 out of 2,600 residents receive food. Lighthouse Relief is trying to adapt to meet these urgent needs. Currently, 38% of the 2,600 residents are children and the majority come from Afghanistan (33%) and Syria (32%). Over the past year, circumstances in the camp have deteriorated: children have had little access to school due to bureaucratic delays, crowded classrooms, transportation issues, and COVID-19 disruptions. A high, prison-like wall has been erected around the perimeter of the camp, fostering stress and anxiety. One-third of residents have neither access to food nor cash assistance as a result of recent policy changes. Tensions are rising as a result of increasing hardship (if you are interested in learning more about recent developments impacting the lives of people seeking refuge in Greece, please read the section at the end of this report). 

Your generosity has sustained our presence in camp, whilst allowing our activities to evolve according to changing needs and circumstances, and we thank you! 

Here is a summary of our programmes and what we have achieved with your support since the start of 2022:

1. Lighthouse Youth and Community Centre (formerly known as YES) - A welcoming drop-in space for residents aged 15+ to drink tea and make use of foosball, musical instruments, sewing machines, a multilingual library, etc., and take part in workshops ranging from guitar to photography to English. Every day we welcome an average of 38 residents into our space. Our attendance remains steadily high as people appreciate the opportunity to jam together using guitars and keyboards, compete for the Ritsona Chess Champion title or organise an impromptu volleyball match

2. Little Lighthouse - A child-friendly space that runs an informal daycare for 3-4 year-olds, where they can develop social skills, gain exposure to multiple languages, and learn how to regulate their emotions through play. Everyday, an average of 22 children visit the Little Lighthouse to take part in an array of early childhood development activities, including how to use scissors as part of arts and crafts, song and dance through musical chairs and circle time activities which help children understand their own emotions (“show me your sad face,” “show me your happy face,” “show me your surprised face”). And of course, they kept on singing “Baby Shark” together!

3. Lighthouse Sports - Football, basketball, volleyball, and more as a vehicle for physical exercise, stress relief, and confidence-building for kids 5-14. Younger children play games designed to instil values of gender equality and respect for others and also learn healthy hygiene habits such as hand-washing and teeth-brushing. Since the start of 2022, an average of 18 children attend daily sports sessions. 

Dignity and respect for the equal rights of all people guide everything that we do. This is reflected in our commitment to always listen to those we endeavour to support, and ensure that they are equal partners in our activities. Our goal is for people with relevant lived experience to serve in leadership positions. Accordingly, our project teams include volunteers from the community we support, who serve as integral members of the Lighthouse team. Community Volunteers receive training in useful skills from conflict de-escalation to CPR, as well as support for professional development.

Thank you sincerely for standing in solidarity with people fleeing conflict, disaster and persecution. We are grateful to count you among our loyal supporters.

…

Overview  of recent changes affecting refugees and asylum seekers in Greece:

New arrivals on the mainland, Crete and Rhodes currently have no way to register their asylum claim, leaving thousands of people with few avenues to access legal protection, medical support, housing or food. Gates and surveillance technologies are being installed around walled-off camps, the final step in creating closed, prison-like camps across Greece that will restrict residents’ freedom of movement. The amount of cash assistance that certain categories of asylum seekers receive every month has also been reduced to €75 (meanwhile most receive zero). Food insecurity continues to be a devastating issue for residents of Ritsona - in February 2,600 people resided in Ritsona, of whom 1,600 were considered “ineligible” for food distributions. Government accommodations, including the ESTIA II programme which housed vulnerable asylum seekers, has been reduced and will be phased out by the end of this year. In January, the worst snowstorm in 14 years hit the Athens metro area, leaving thousands of people living on the streets and in low-quality housing in need of emergency warm shelter, winter clothes and blankets. In Ritsona, the snowstorm left the entire camp without electricity and potable water for some days.