Implementing Bodies

SYNYPARXIS – Ecumenical Refugee Program is a non-profit organisation of the Church of Greece with over 40 years of active presence in supporting people in need. During this time, it has assisted thousands of individuals in their efforts to integrate successfully into Greek and European society.

Founded in its current form in 2012, SYNYPARXIS is the successor of related services of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece operating since 1978.

Its mission is to safeguard justice, dignity, and human rights for returnees, refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable social groups in general. To this end, it designs and implements programs providing legal, social, and psychosocial support, accommodation, and integration services focusing on child protection, education and access to the labour market. At the same time, through awareness-raising initiatives, it promotes intercultural understanding and respect for diversity, contributing to social cohesion and harmonious coexistence, while also implementing initiatives to empower and encourage the active participation of vulnerable groups in social life.

Since 2020, SYNYPARXIS has been operating ed four Accommodation Centers for Unaccompanied Minors in Athens and Thessaloniki, providing comprehensive care and support services. Since 2024, it coordinates the “PYXIDA” program, aimed at creating a complementary mechanism to strengthen the National Strategy for Unaccompanied Children in Greece.

SYNYPARXIS has a strong track record of effective management, evidenced by its ISO 9001:2015 certification, official registration in the Ministry of Migration and Asylum’s NGO Registry, and extensive experience in national and European co-funded programs with robust systems for monitoring, accountability, and quality assurance. SYNYPARXIS is also an active member of both formal and informal national and European networks, fostering collaboration and the exchange of expertise at institutional and community levels. Its strong connections with the Church of Greece and local parishes enable it to engage and mobilize local communities, enhancing the reach, sustainability, and impact of its initiatives.

ILIAKTIDA NPO is a Civil Non-Profit Company founded in 1999 on the island of Lesvos, with the mission to combat social exclusion and support vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, women, youth, unemployed individuals, Roma, refugees, and asylum seekers. One of its core actions is the Creative Activities Center for Persons with Disabilities, which has been operating for over 20 years, offering creative activities, education, and psychosocial support. ILIAKTIDA also operates the online store [www.pramatelia.gr](http://www.pramatelia.gr), through which it promotes and sells handmade products created by its beneficiaries, reinvesting all revenues into the operation of the Center. At the same time, the organization implements European and state-funded programs promoting employment and the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. In the field of local development and social economy, ILIAKTIDA has supported public benefit employment programs and in 2018 founded “Kalotropio”, a social enterprise support center in Lesvos, which currently supports more than 20 initiatives. Since 2008, ILIAKTIDA has played a decisive role in supporting asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, providing housing, education, and psychosocial support. It began hosting refugees in apartments in 2014 and established official cooperation with UNHCR in 2016, implementing the ESTIA housing program. Today, ILIAKTIDA manages 150 accommodation places for unaccompanied minors, a non-formal education school for asylum seekers, housing for adult refugees, and services at the Closed Controlled Structure (CCS) of Lesvos. The work of ILIAKTIDA has been recognized at local, national, and international level, receiving, among others, the prestigious EESC Civil Society Prize in 2016.

European Expression is a non-profit Civil Society Organization (CSO), independent of public authorities and political parties, founded in 1989 by young scientists and active citizens with both theoretical and practical orientations, with the aim of promoting the European idea and values, European citizens’ rights, international multilateral cooperation and governance, as well as the modernization of Greek society, economy, and politics. Its guiding principles are the ideas of freedom, voluntary participation, and federal forms of governance as the most democratic approach to inclusion, rights, and freedoms for all; the realization of the ideal of peace in interstate relations and within states; minimal government aimed at freedom from violence and oppression; the protection of the climate and nature; and the achievement of unity through the synthesis of diversity.

For 35 years, European Expression has continuously developed activities to achieve its objectives. Under the responsibility of the European Expression Association and the Non-Profit Civil Company “European Society Political Expression Institutions – E.K.P.E.TH.E.”, cohesive administration and policies have been achieved, characterized by vision, dynamism, effectiveness, democracy, transparency, and accountability. It has published 107 issues of the magazine “European Expression” over 30 years, books and other publications, organized hundreds of public events, dozens of seminars, several festivals, implemented a significant number of impactful programs with tangible results, carried out missions to the EU and abroad, employed dozens of staff members, hosted European and international volunteers, and consistently mobilized significant volunteer forces, donors, and sponsors. Its work has been awarded multiple times and its contribution widely recognized, as it has now entered a new period of faster growth and service to humanity and nature, freedom, and peace.

The main objectives of European Expression are:

• Promotion of the European idea and European integration while preserving national particularities and traditions. Awareness-raising and information on European issues alongside the activation of the country’s scientific potential. Contribution to shaping the conditions for global governance and promoting the idea of a world federation.

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  * Promotion of stable and creative dialogue aimed at modernizing Greek economic, social, and political structures, convergence, and the strengthening of European consciousness. Development of a modern, pluralistic Greek society with continuously expanding rights protection, citizen participation, and reinforcement of European values

• Protection of the natural, cultural, and human-made environment within the framework of ecologically sustainable development, with special emphasis on climate crisis adaptation and mitigation, and the promotion of intangible cultural heritage. Educational initiatives, youth exchanges, volunteering and solidarity, lifelong learning, intergenerational solidarity, and digital education.

• Contribution at both theoretical and practical levels to tackling unemployment and boosting employment. Participation in building the welfare state and providing social services. Addressing the needs of vulnerable groups in accordance with international and European law and practice, with particular focus on gender equality, women’s rights, refugee and migrant support and integration, the establishment and operation of accommodation facilities for unaccompanied minors, and the protection of persons with disabilities, consumers, and patients.

SOS Children’s Villages Greece is a member of SOS Children’s Villages International, which operates in 136 countries worldwide, with the mission of protecting children who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care. SOS Children’s Villages support families in crisis to create a caring and safe environment so that every child grows up with love and respect. When, for serious reasons, a child can no longer remain with their biological family, they provide an alternative care environment either through foster families or, for as long as needed, in an SOS Children’s Village. In Greece, there are 4 SOS Children’s Villages, 2 Youth Empowerment Programs, 9 Child and Family Support Centers, and 6 Learning and Pedagogical Support Programs.

ZEUXIS was founded in 2018 with the aim of combating poverty, social exclusion, and discrimination, strengthening social cohesion through programs and actions supporting vulnerable social groups. It focuses on supporting refugees, migrants, unaccompanied minors, single-parent families, and victims of human trafficking, while also defending their rights. Its main actions include: operation of Accommodation Facilities for Unaccompanied Minors, provision of child protection in Safe Zones (Kos, Chios, Samos, Leros, mainland Greece), prevention of juvenile delinquency, strengthening migrants’ access to vocational education, and training on issues such as gender equality, human trafficking, and escort services for unaccompanied and separated minors to ensure access to health services. Interventions are designed based on the real needs of beneficiaries, prioritizing the most urgent cases. ZEUXIS is certified by Greek and international authorities, is registered in the official registries of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and holds ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Certification for the social support services it provides

The main beneficiaries of ZEUXIS programs and actions are members of vulnerable social groups – refugees, migrants, unaccompanied minors (boys and girls), single-parent families, victims of human trafficking, and survivors of gender-based violence. It is estimated that in 2024, the total number of beneficiaries nationwide reached 3,870 individuals. All interventions are designed and implemented based on beneficiaries’ needs, prioritizing the most urgent cases, and without any discrimination based on nationality, race, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Solidarity Now was founded in 2013 with the mission to support and defend the rights of the most vulnerable social groups, without discrimination. Its mission is to empower individuals and improve their lives, contributing to a society of solidarity, hope, and tolerance, where everyone can live with dignity and safety.

To date, Solidarity Now has supported more than 380,000 people through a wide range of programs and services, such as legal aid, education, social and professional support, psychosocial services, child protection, and integration actions.

It is a non-profit organization operating on the principles of transparency and accountability. Its funding derives from European programs, institutions, foundations, private sponsorships, donations, and the support of its members.