The Adama Job Center is an online job-matching platform created by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Greece. Since the summer of 2022, the Adama Center has been offering both in-person and remote employability and social services support to asylum seekers and refugees throughout Greece. To ensure comprehensive coverage, Adama partners with local organizations in major cities like Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, and Heraklion, and provides remote support where physical presence is not feasible.
UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution.
We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water; help safeguard fundamental human rights; and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future.
In Greece, UNHCR works with the Greek authorities, non-governmental and other organizations, volunteer networks and communities to ensure the protection and integration of refugees and asylum-seekers arriving in the country.
UNHCR also focuses on raising awareness of civil society and advocates for the development of sustainable solutions and the improvement of policies, which will allow refugees to thrive in their new home.
Catholic Relief Services
CRS was established in 1943 by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to help those in need overseas. The CRS mission statement calls on the agency to alleviate human suffering and promote full human development.
As part of the universal mission of the Catholic Church, we work with local, national and international Catholic institutions and structures, as well as other organizations, to assist people on the basis of need, not creed, race or nationality in over 100 countries.
CRS started operations in Greece in 2015 and has supported the integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Athens and Thessaloniki, with a particular emphasis on market-based and housing-related approaches. Working closely with its local partners, Caritas Hellas and Caritas Athens, CRS implements housing, financial assistance, livelihoods and integration programs.
The organization is a partner in ESTIA, HELIOS, the Cash assistance program and Mikros Kosmos. In December 2021, along with Caritas Hellas and in partnership with UNHCR, CRS started the implementation of the Adama Center project.
Caritas Hellas
Caritas Hellas is the charitable institution of the Catholic Church and has been operating in Greece since 1981. It is member of Caritas Europa and Caritas Internationalis.
The purpose of Caritas Hellas to create, implement and realize actions and programs of humanitarian and charitable content, to develop a spirit of solidarity and volunteerism in society, to address poverty and any kind of humanitarian and social crisis as well as advocate for our socially excluded fellow human beings.
Caritas Hellas implements programmes for the protection, material, social and psychological support of vulnerable individuals and families, as well as those affected by natural disasters (floods, fires, earthquakes). Caritas Hellas implements special actions in different regions of Greece, including coverage of basic needs, psychosocial support, accommodation for refugees, educational and cultural activities, vocational training and skills development training, vocational guidance, financial and legal counselling, support for the development of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, livelihood programmes and others related to the Social and Solidarity Economy.
Within this framework, the operation of the Adama integration centre was launched in December 2021.
Heraklion Development Agency (HDA)
Heraklion Development Agency (HDA) is a limited company consisting of Local Government Organizations (LGOs) namely the municipalities of the prefecture, the Region of Crete, the Chamber of Commerce, rural and other organizations, established in 1989 in the Prefecture of Heraklion Crete, Greece.
The core aims of the agency are to provide expert (scientific and technical) support to public and private sector actors for the promotion of decentralized administration, to promote social, economic and sustainable development in its intervention area and to implement relevant to its aims policies by participating to programmes funded by national and/or EU sources.
At present, Heraklion Development Agency is implementing project “ReA-Refugee Assistance to Livelihoods and Employability”, launched in April 2023, and funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which offers support to refugees and asylum seekers on Crete, to effectively enjoy rights, and to gain financial inclusion and job opportunities as a path to integration. The main focus of the aforementioned project is integration via a holistic range of services to support beneficiaries to overcome the various livelihoods-related challenges and barriers, they face in general, while main pillars of services include information provision on livelihoods and rights, and specialized support to access the labor market.
METAdrasi – Action for Migration & Development
METAdrasi was founded in December 2009 with the mission of facilitating the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in Greece. Believing that migration leads to development, METAdrasi is determined to uphold and protect -through innovative interventions- the fundamental human rights of all those displaced and persecuted.
Guided by the principles of consistency, efficiency, transparency, and the flexibility to adjust to emerging needs, METAdrasi is active in the following key areas:
1. The provision of quality interpretation, enabling vital communication with refugees and migrants through the deployment of over 350 interpreters, trained and certified by METAdrasi in 43 languages and dialects – an activity that lies at the heart of any effective provision of humanitarian support,
2. The protection of unaccompanied and separated children, through a comprehensive safety net of activities including accommodation facilities, escorting from precarious conditions to safe spaces and the pioneering activities of guardianship, foster families and supported independent living,
3. The protection and support of other vulnerable groups through the provision of legal aid to asylum seekers, certification of victims of torture and deployment of humanitarian aid wherever needed,
4. The education and integration of refugees and migrants through educational programmes, Greek language lessons, multilingual support guides and remedial education for children that enables access to the right to education, as well as soft-skills training, traineeship opportunities and work placements.
SolidarityNow
SolidarityNow is a non-profit organisation founded in 2013 to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable social groups and ensure their rights. The organisation’s vision is to improve people’s lives and empower them to fight for a more just and inclusive society. From 2013 until today, SolidarityNow has supported through its activities and programs (housing, psychosocial support, legal aid, cultural mediation, education, child protection), more than 350,000 vulnerable people to claim a life with dignity and prospects.
The organization has identified four strategic priorities to direct its programmes: Inclusive education for all, Catalysing livelihoods opportunities, Improving social protection and inclusion, Enabling access to justice and the protection of human rights.
Our vision is a world of solidarity, hope and tolerance, where people live in dignity and security.
INTERSOS Hellas
Since March 2016, INTERSOS has been dedicated to offering comprehensive assistance and sustainable solutions in response to the Greek migration crisis. Over the years, INTERSOS Hellas executed projects for accommodation and integration pilot initiatives, with a strong commitment to improving self-sufficiency and integration for those affected. This involved enhancing psychological and social conditions, providing access to essential information and services, and supporting the integration of international protection beneficiaries and asylum seekers in Greece.
Under the “Community Based Organizations project” (CBO), INTERSOS Hellas focused on strengthening civil society responses through collaboration with local organizations. By supporting over 25 programs, the aim was to promote coexistence and smooth integration among diverse communities. Additionally, the “Small Scale Integration Project” by INTERSOS Hellas, in partnership with local organizations, implemented a holistic pilot program that combined language education and vocational training for refugees and asylum seekers. Furthermore, , the Employability Project offered comprehensive job consultation in Thessaloniki and Ioannina, equipping the participants with information and resources for pre-employment preparation and fostering self-sufficiency in Greece.
NTERSOS Hellas, in collaboration with the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Ioannina/Intercultural Center “Academia” and the UNHCR, is carrying out the initiative: “#Together: Holistic support for the effective access to socioeconomic rights and livelihoods in Epirus”. This program is designed to empower beneficiaries with the necessary resources, knowledge, and skills to successfully enter the workforce.
Intercultural Center for Social Integration “Academia”
The Intercultural Center for Social Integration “Academia” has been operating since March 2021 as a structure complementary to the Social Services of the Municipality of Ioannina which supports and interconnects asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, without any discrimination with all agencies, structures, as well as the Social Protection and Social Integration Services and Programs with the aim of supporting and managing the needs of the beneficiaries and supporting integration.
In order to achieve these goals, the “Academia” Center provides the necessary counselling and supports the strengthening of the abilities of the beneficiaries in job search techniques, in navigating the labor market and accessing the required administrative documents, accessing vocational training programs, in creating CV and job applications, as well as their inclusion in social protection programs, with ultimate goal the enhancement of their economic prosperity and the creation of sustainable livelihoods.
The Center operates in the context of the implementation of the project “Cooperation – technical support in the framework of activities of the Intercultural Center for Social Integration “Academia” by K.E.P.N.A.D.I. in collaboration with and financed by the OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION” “Academia”.
International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas began its operation in Greece in 2015, on the island of Lesvos, in response to the unprecedented number of refugees arriving on the island at the time.
Since the beginning of its activities in Greece, IRC Hellas has provided support and protection services to people living in shelters, but also in urban settings. Directly or in collaboration with other Civil Society organizations, we have provided housing, emergency supplies, access to sanitation, reliable and up-to-date information, protection for vulnerable groups, legal assistance, case management, mental health, and psychosocial support, as well as employability services for recognized refugees, asylum applicants and other vulnerable groups in Greece.
The IRC team is located in Athens, Lesvos and Thessaloniki, while through the Refugee.Info online platform, the IRC is able to provide refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Greece with credible, up-to-date information about available services, legal rights, and options for asylum, relocation and family reunification. Our programs focus on child protection, mental health and psychosocial support, women’s protection and empowerment, legal support, gender equality and diversity, advocacy and economic recovery and empowerment through employability and entrepreneurship.
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