RLS's Athens Legal Coordinator, Lucy Alper, recently delivered training to staff of Meraki community centre in Athens. She covered the asylum procedure and people's rights as well as history and context relating to refugees in Greece.  

The Meraki Community centre is a project of Vasilika Moon and is a hub in Athens where people can go for casework assistance and orientation. They help to connect people to other essential services in the city.

Meraki also run a free shop where people can collect much needed clothes, and medical care from Medical Volunteers International (MVI) who operate from the community centre.

You can find more info here: https://www.vasilikamoon.org/cosa-facciamo/progetti-in-grecia/.

Feedback from the session:

 "The RLS team, through Lucy's work in Athens, has made a good impression since the very beginning when she showed availability to come to visit us, see our space, understand our doubts, and help us clarify the path through asylum procedures.

Even though the general topic was not new within our work routine, the knowledge we were exposed to was presented with dynamism, necessary details, well-chosen examples, and respect toward the community we work for.

Lucy made herself clear even when explaining complex juridical and social structures, and, most importantly, made it real. I am personally full of gratitude and sure that we are building a long-lasting collaboration."

"It was really interesting to have the training with RLS a while after our previous formation on asylum procedures. This is a complex matter and every day the people visiting us ask relevant questions to which we at times don't have the answers. It helped us feel better prepared for new situations that might arise in the future, as we seek the continuity of high-quality work."