SOS Children’s Villages Greece
SOS Children’s Villages Greece has been operating in Greece since 1975, caring for children who have been orphaned, abandoned or neglected through home-based care centres.
Since the financial crisis, SOS has increased its activities to support affected families, including the establishment of support centres in Athens and regional Greece.
The SOS Social Centre in Patras, established in 2017, supports local families facing economic hardship and unemployment.
In March 2019, SOS Children’s Villages Greece opened a Learning and Education Centre at the Patras facility which is assisting families to support the learning and educational progress of their children.
Through programs run by qualified educators and counsellors, the centre assists children to meet their daily school curriculum requirements, while developing psychosocial skills in a safe and educationally-appropriate environment. Children are provided with hot meals and snacks daily.
The program also supports parents to pursue job and vocational training opportunities and provides counselling to help them support their child’s progress.
In January 2019, The Hellenic Initiative Australia funded the operation of the SOS Education & Learning Centre in Patras for 12 months. The grant was renewed for a second year in 2020.
Read about the impact of the program here and the story of one of the families being assisted here.
