MENTAL HEALTH
& PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
Ritsona refugee camp is located in an isolated industrial area 75 km from Athens. It hosts approximately 2,000 people, most of whom are awaiting a decision on their asylum application.
We supported residents’ well-being from 2016-early 2023 with daily educational and recreational activities ranging from football tournaments to photography workshops, English classes, and more.
Since 2016, thousands of children and teens have had the chance to forget their troubles for a little while in our safe, cheerful space. Many reported that it helped them regain lost hope for their futures.
Sports have proven a particularly effective tool of MHPSS. Playing team sports promotes mental and physical health while teaching the value of teamwork, tolerance, sportsmanship, discipline, and respect. It is a vehicle for social inclusion and building resilience to trauma.
This is essential for those too young to remember life outside the camp or for whom confinement to a prison-like environment when they have done nothing wrong takes a toll on their mental health.
Regretfully we had to suspend our program in early 2023 due to government regulations restricting NGO access to camps across Greece.
Ritsona Refugee Camp: Continued support for residents, new approach
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Ritsona Refugee Camp: Continued support for residents, new approach 〰️
HOW WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE WELL-BEING
OF RITSONA RESIDENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE CAMP:
SPORTS4HOPE
We invite children and teens from Ritsona Camp to play basketball and football at nearby facilities in partnership with local clubs. This exposes them to life outside the camp walls, while joint practice sessions offer rare opportunities to form social ties with Greek peers while picking up the language and cultural norms.
We provide snacks and transportation to/from each sports session.
Soon we hope also to include residents of other nearby refugee camps.
LITTLE LIGHTHOUSe
We opened a child-friendly space in Athens that offers young children similar opportunities for personal growth and development that we used to provide within Ritsona Camp.
During our daily sessions, we help boys and girls find stability, develop social skills, and learn techniques to cope with trauma and regulate emotions. Their parents are welcome to partake in the activities or enjoy a quiet moment in the adjacent room, knowing their little ones are in good hands.