The transformative potential of private sector funding
for civil society organizations working with unaccompanied refugee children in Greece
by Sofia Kouvelaki, Chief Executive Officer, The HOME Project
Recent international political and institutional developments signal a broader global shift towards violence and the “survival of the fittest”, with dehumanizing policies aimed at deterring asylum seekers and criminalizing immigration. Alarmingly, far-right and xenophobic parties are gaining ground across the board, pushing anti-refugee policies and stoking division. Several countries are seeing a rise in populism, and are scapegoating refugees as a threat to their national identity and security. Given the increasingly aggressive narrative towards refugees, and the lack of political will to defend their safety and dignity, we need the private sector and philanthropic institutions to intervene in order to help safeguard their rights.
As highlighted in The Guardian, “Greece is currently facing a children’s emergency of the kind that we haven’t witnessed in years”. Instead of enforcing child-protection measures for unaccompanied refugee children and investing in their integration, the government has focused on bolstering border security and fast-tracking deportations. At the same time, as reported in Kathimerini, there are over 5,100 lone refugee children in the country, with more than 1,500 living in overcrowded and unsuitable conditions within camps and detention centers, where they are exposed to all kinds of dangers, including physical, sexual and emotional violence.
Alongside other organizations providing shelter and care to unaccompanied children, we have to deal with an abundance of political, institutional, legal and financial obstacles, which make it almost impossible for us to operate. All shelters are at full occupancy, while due to cost-cutting measures, the government has reduced the total number of available spots in the country for the accommodation of lone refugee children. EU funding arrives with delays of several months and often incomplete.
The situation on the ground is further exacerbated by the increase in violent incidents of extreme right-wing groups targeting unaccompanied minors and our staff members. Only in the last few months, there have been several reports, which have included verbal abuse, threats, intimidation and physical attacks both in the streets and by radical crowds who tried to break into shelters.
We are honored and grateful to have established long-term partnerships with the private sector, predominantly with philanthropists and foundations outside of Greece, since the beginning of our operations. Their generous support has enabled us to develop a unique child protection model, which addresses the specific needs of each child under our care. We provide comprehensive mental health support, legal support, access to education and life skills so that these children and youth can integrate into society and become active citizens of the world.
Since 2016, we have supported more than 1,400 children across our 13 shelters in Athens, and have achieved important systemic and institutional changes for the protection of unaccompanied minors, nationally and internationally. We have also secured 51 scholarships for our children to study in leading academic institutions in Greece and abroad, created over 300 jobs and generated more than €35.5 million for the local economy.
To ensure the full implementation of our model and the undisrupted running of our operations, almost half of our annual budget is raised through international donors from the private sector. Despite the hostile institutional and political landscape, private funding allows us to constantly improve the quality of our services, while maintaining an environment of safety and trust for the children under our care, as well as our partners, suppliers and employees.
In order to foster meaningful relationships with our existing donors and continue to expand our supporter base, we make sure to keep our audiences informed and engaged, utilizing all available channels of communication and reporting. We are fully transparent about our impact and priorities, invite them to witness our work on the ground, and encourage young people who have been supported by our organization to share their experiences.
On this critical juncture, given the systemic challenges and the dire reality that is unfolding before our eyes, private sector philanthropy, especially from international supporters, is absolutely vital for the sustainability of civil society operations for lone refugee children in Greece.
*This article was published in HIGGS Civil Society Updates (Issue 19) in April 2025.