For a long time, a large portion of refugees in Greece stayed on one of the islands off the eastern coast of the country. Lesbos is particularly notorious for this, but refugees on other islands (Samos, Chios, etc.) also lived in overcrowded camps. This often resulted in dire situations. The CRR Foundation has therefore been committed to providing aid to refugees on these islands since 2015. However, in recent years, we have seen the refugee crisis shift from the islands to the mainland. For this reason, CRR launched a new project in Athens in February 2021.

It's estimated that there are currently around 40,000 refugees in and around the Greek capital. Many of them are staying in small camps around the city, or living in shared apartments. Unfortunately, many refugees are also living on the streets, simply because there are insufficient facilities to accommodate them. People don't know where to turn and have little access to assistance such as asylum support, food, clothing, and shelter.

After extensive discussions with various organizations in the city, CRR decided to launch a logistics aid project, as the need for this proved to be very high. We are combining CRR's expertise in (emergency) aid transport with the extensive network of NGOs in the city. This collaboration with these various organizations allows for a thorough inventory of needed goods and their rapid distribution throughout the city. We are focusing primarily on basic necessities: clothing, hygiene products, and food. For this project, we have our own warehouse strategically located outside the center of Athens. Here, we can receive the shipments and prepare specific projects (e.g., food or hygiene packages).

To Athens

As a CRR volunteer, you'll be working with the Athens team. This means your daily tasks will include sorting goods and assembling and delivering orders to one of the organizations we serve. Approximately once a month, a truck arrives from the Netherlands with new relief supplies. These are usually unloaded the same day. If the truck arrives while you're here, you can help with it.

Besides the logistical work, there's also room to observe and help out at other organizations, for example, distributing food to the homeless and drug addicts or preparing meals in a soup kitchen. One thing's for sure: there's plenty of work to be done, and no two days are the same!

During your mission trip, you'll stay at our volunteer house in the Nea Pallini neighborhood. This is a quiet neighborhood about a ten-minute drive from the warehouse.

The missions to Athens consist of two weekly trips. A different schedule can be maintained for groups upon request.

The cost of a two-week Athens mission is €950, excluding food and drinks, and includes airfare, accommodation, use of CRR transportation, travel insurance, and administration fees.

Planned trips

2026
February 23 – March 6 | 12 days
June 8 – June 22 | 2 weeks
July 6 – July 20 | 2 weeks (full)
July 27 – August 10 | 2 weeks