The Norwegian Ambassador Frode Overland Andersen together with his Ukrainian counterpart Sergii Shutenko visited the open accommodation facility "A step forward" operated by the Doctors of the World earlier today. The facility welcomes vulnerable refugee women and children from Ukraine, who are in need of a safe home, medical care and psychosocial support services. So far the shelter has received 21 women and children from Ukraine while currently 12 beneficiaries from Ukraine are hosted there.
The open accommodation facility “A step forward”, with a total capacity of 44 places, operates since the summer of 2020 with a total funding of 1,105m euros granted through the "Asylum and Migration" EEA Grants programme in Greece, operated by SOL Crowe & HumanRights360.
Meanwhile the Doctors of the World continue to respond to the urgent needs emerging by the war in Ukraine by supporting vulnerable refugee women and their children arriving in Greece. Social workers and volunteers of the Doctos of the World field teams provide social, legal and administrative support as well as in-kind assistance to Ukrainian citizens who have fled to Greece through their daily operations in Athens and Thessaloniki. So far 582 families and a total of 1,537 people from Ukraine have received the necessary services from the Doctors of the World in the two cities.
The Ambassador of Norway to Greece Mr. Frode Overland Andersen said: “It is our common European duty and responsibility to help and support Ukrainian refugees, by providing them with a safe home and the support they need while staying in Greece. The MDM project sponsored by the EEA Grant Mechanism is only a small example of how we can use existing projects to support Ukraine. On a larger scale the Government of Norway has committed a total of approximately Euro 200 million for Ukraine and its neighbouring countries in response to the war so far”.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to Greece Mr. Sergii Shutenko noticed: “When Russia invaded Ukraine, a million of lives of the innocent people were destroyed in one single moment. Children, as the most affected and vulnerable category, have been also suffering the atrocities of this unprovoked and unjustified war. Now our main goal is to save our children - to save the future of Ukraine. We are grateful to all the countries, NGOs and foundations which today take care of our children and help us to protect them. In particular, we are grateful to Norway and Greece and the Doctors of the World. Most children are in their special age, when the core human values are being developed and they need our support, any support provided, so they would feel connected and not abandoned by the responsible society. I am sure that by joint efforts we can save and protect our children”.