A walk with the children of the Accommodation Facility in Athens: a member of our team narrates…

“14 cute faces fill the space of the facility, which is decorated with bright and cheerful colors.
Some children play, other are planning their next mischief … a little girl, around four, constantly seeks hugs. She speaks Greek remarkably well.

The staff of the facility, Psychologists, Paedagogists, Social Workers and Volunteers, takes care of them tirelessly. The children follow their instructions (at least most of the times…).

It is time for an afternoon stroll. Additional volunteers have come along to help, myself included.

We walk up to the neighborhood’s sports ground and an awesome football game starts. A young child’s shoe laces get untied. Before any escort had time to help, another child, only seven years old, bends and ties them. The Facility’s Psychologist observes two girls that are not participating in the game. She calls them in a corner of the field and draws an outline with chalk for hopscotch. The girls get excited! At no time all the children gather around to play hopscotch. Later they separate again in different game teams.

They all act as a team, young and old, boys and girls, mixed nationalities and languages.
This group of people live together under the same roof. Sharing their daily lives, their dreams. These children’s future is unknown, their past traumatic, but they share a present that has a unique dynamic. METAdrasi’s team supporting these children strives to ease their memories of the past and ensure a better future.

Parting with them is hard.
– Did you have a good time?
– It was very nice! We scored a lot of goals! “