Educational Center for Children of the World by the Greek Church’s “Mission”

Half the refugees worldwide are children and half of them do not go to school or even have the right to education. Through the Educational Center for Children of the World, the Holy Archdiocese in Athens’ NGO Apostoli [Mission] is actively involved in providing education to refugee children hosted in Athens. Since October 2017, the Center has offered the “Supporting Refugee Children’s and Youth’s Resilience Through the Provision of Non-Formal Education and Psychosocial Support” program to children aged 6 to 17.

The program includes Greek and English language lessons, supplementary teaching for children attending Greek state schools, creative activities and hands-on workshops with classes in painting, construction team board games and electronic apps, life skills development, psychosocial support and empowerment for women through non-formal crafting classes, like sewing and embroidering.

The program runs in Athens while similar non-formal education programs have been set up in other Greek urban centers as well. The Apostoli programs are supported by other international organizations as well, such as the European Union, the Church of Sweden, Teachers Without Borders, while the program is also supported by the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC).