The Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki has issued an appeal for help for refugees in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. The second biggest city of Greece is experiencing a continuous inflow of refugees in the last four months that is permanently on the rise. A few tens to a few hundreds of people arrive every day. The vast majority of arriving refugees mostly from Syria are families with underage children and elders, as well as individuals.
The accommodation centers set by the government are not enough to host all the arriving refugees. Many of them stay on the streets,; families sleep on the sidewalks, without any support from the state.
Together with volunteers the group offers support to the refugees in several ways: from providing food and cooked meals, to baby formula and diapers, clothes and other things to meet basic needs.
There are many ways to help the group to keep providing essential aid to refugees fleeing from Syria… Please, read below.
Dear friends,
we would like to inform you about the refugee situation in Greece and specifically in the city of Thessaloniki and the surrounding Macedonia region in the hope you can help us con tend with the growing crisis.
As more and more conflict arises in Syria and the surrounding areas, more people are fleeing, leaving their homes behind to seek refuge in Europe.
There has been a considerably large incoming wave of refugees during the past four months, as a result of the recent strikes. The vast majority of the refugees arriving are families with underage children and elders, as well as individuals.
In Thessaloniki, there are a few tens to a few hundreds of arrivals per day. Only very few of the hospitality centers set up by the government in the past two years are still working and they are certainly not enough to host all the arriving refugees. The three centers around Thessaloniki are about 50 to 70 km away from the city and can only offer housing to the newly arrived.
But since these facilities are already overcrowded, a lot of people have to stay in the streets. In many places in Thessaloniki, families are forced to sleep on the sidewalks, without any support from the state.
We, the people of the Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki and Oikopolis, consider it our duty to support these people during their rough journey towards safety and we collaborate closely with all the organizations and volunteer groups that are engaged in our city.
In order to help these people we constantly try to:
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Cook and distribute hot meals and fruits – vegetables for people that don’t have any access to cooked food.
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Provide them with raw materials for cooking in their houses or in the camps.
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Supply them with personal hygiene products for adults and children as well
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Offer baby milk as well as the possibility to prepare it in our place
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Support them with their medical expenses
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Collect and distribute clothes , shoes, sleeping bags, tents and anything else that will help them if they are homeless.
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Have free English and Greek language lessons
We are gathering all available supplies and we would be grateful if anyone would like to contribute any of the following:
Baby formula and baby food
Baby diapers and wet wipes
Personal hygiene and care goods, soaps etc.
Rice and pasta
Legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils etc.)
Flour, Oil (sunflower oil, olive oil)
Fruit and vegetables
Men’s clothes and shoes
Children’s clothes and shoes
Socks and underwear
Backpacks
Sleeping bags
Any financial contribution will also be highly appreciated!
You can contact us at:
Tel: 0030 2310222503 – email: [email protected]
Visit us at:
ΟΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΣ/ΕCOPOLIS, Ptolemeon 29a, 5th floor, Thessaloniki
Make a donation at the following account:
ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ / NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE
IBAN GR2301102170000021729602652
Swift code: ETHNGRAAXXX
ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΚΙΝΗΣΗ Ν. ΘΕΣ/ΝΙΚΗΣ
ECOLOGICAL MOVEMENT OF THESSALONIKI
PS I know that the group is doing amazing humanitarian work ever since 2015.
*thumbnail picture is from April 20 when a large group of refugees camped in the city center to draw authorities’ attention.
