Due to the coronavirus crisis schools were also closed in the crowded refugee camps on the Greek Aegean Islands (Kos, Leros, Samos, Lesvos and Chios) since March. However, thanks to the improved situation the non-formal education centres run by local organisations in partnership with UNHCR and UNICEF are reopening now. These islands are homes to more than 10,000 school-aged children, who continued their education online, mainly through apps, even during the lockdown. They all were very eager to return to the classroom and to be able to meet their friends and teachers again. The main obstacle was due to the restriction of movement in Greece, which did not make it possible for many students to leave the reception centres where they live and access the non-formal education centres outside the camps. 

Theirworld last week has been awarded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery 1.35 million euros to support emergency education for refugee children during the pandemic. The donation comes in a time of need as without this support the education centres could have not survived financially after June. However, strict rules are in place, meaning that fewer pupils are allowed in one classroom and students go to school on different days. They are also taught how to wash their hands properly and how to keep a safe distance even during playtime. Unfortunately, the lockdown had sever psychosocial impacts on many children and teenagers, but local organisations are working hard to assist them in the healing process.

To watch the special videos created for World Refugee Day by local staff on the Greek islands please follow this link!

Childhub

You might like..

0
20
More than 1,600 unaccompanied children are staying in government-run reception facilities across Greece’s Aegean Islands. The Moria reception center is one such facility where nearly 1,000 children without parents or relatives, most of them teens,…
0
A large number of refugee children have remained in Greece during the past years. Merope Tzoufi, Greece’s Alternate Education Minister, presented the latest data concerning the Education of refugee children in Greece. The minister stated that…
0
2
Greece is struggling to manage what is threatening to become a ‘humanitarian disaster’ on Samos – an island which gained the nickname ‘new Lesbos’ for the inhumane conditions in which refugees and migrants have been placed as they await the…
0
1
On the third anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal, 25 humanitarian, human rights and volunteer organisations are calling on EU leaders to take immediate action to end the unfair and unnecessary containment policy which is preventing asylum seekers…
0
7
A 12-year old asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who lives on Chios, in the Reception and Identification Center (RIC) of Greece. There the class is taught Greek, Math and English and kids are in the courtyard during breaks, just like their peers. This…
0
7
After the fire in the camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos MSF has observed a rise in mental distress both in adults and children. This finding is no suprise as 3500 people live in Samos in unhumane conditions, mainly in self-made tents in the…
0
1
The recent increase of unaccompanied migrant children raises serious issues in child protection. More and more refugee children arrive in the country without parental or other protection. There are only 1.169 available long-term accommodation…
0
How do you stop coronavirus in a refugee camp? – This is the question, that comes up in Moria, in the island of Lesbos, Greece. One dweller was tested positive in Malakasa (another camp) and a woman, who gave birth to a child not long ago, in…
0
53
Hundreds of children in Greece are in desperate need of the warmth and safety of a family. Some of them have lost their own parents on treacherous migration routes to Europe, leaving them alone and vulnerable. A non-governmental organization,…
0
6
Conditions in Greek refugee camps are not adequate for teaching, and hampering factors such as exploitation and abuse of unaccompanied boys and girls make it even more difficult. Today, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even harder for…
0
5
Nick Barnets reports for DW on efforts taken by local communities on the Greek island of Lesvos to help refugees, particularly families with small children, fleeing from violence in Syria. The continued economic crisis in Greece has crippled its…
0
125
In an effort to halt population decline, the Greek government is offering an allowance of 2000 euros for the birth of every child, starting in 2020. The population decline in Greece has been linked to a number of issues, including the lack of…
0
5
Based on the World Health Organisation research Greece’s new government plans to increase vaccination rates as measles exits again in the country. The Minister of Health plans to raise awareness and to improve vaccine coverage of the population. “…
0
7
Children forced to live in overcrowded refugee camps on Greek islands such as Lesvos are being left to battle a mental health crisis alone. New research from Refugee Rights Europe is shedding light on their plight, writes Helena Eynon…
yes
0
67
Children from the International School Byron College in Athens, who participate in the Child Advisory Boards of Terre des hommes' Restorative Justice projects, tell us about their experience from their sessions as Counselors, but also about the days…