SOS Children in Greece

SOS Children began its work in Greece in 1982 with the construction of the first community at Vari, about 25 km from Athens. In the province of Attica on the coastal road at the foot of the Hymetus Mountain, it enjoys wonderful views over the sea. Vari has a number of family houses with an SOS Youth Home at nearby Voula where the SOS children in their teens take their first steps to independence while studying or acquiring skills for the future. Children from the SOS Children’s Village attend the local schools in Vari.

Plans for the second community in Greece began in 1994 at Plagiari, a small village of around 2000 people about 18 km east of Thessaloniki. The first mothers and children moved into the ten family houses in 1998. As in Vari, the children attend local schools and are well integrated into the community. Two playgrounds and a sports field provide plenty of space for games and recreation.

In 1999 SOS Children established an SOS Social Centre in a deprived area of Athens where there is very little help available for families with social and educational problems. Like all SOS Social and Welfare Centres, the aim is to help families to support themselves and their children by providing day care facilities, medical care for expectant mothers and training in life skills as well as counselling services.

In 2009, SOS Children's Village Thrace opened in the north east of the country, not far from the border with Turkey. The village is home to up to 50 children and includes an SOS Social Centre that provides day care and counselling for up to 120 children.