The HOME Project

12/10/2026

𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: In light of the International Day of the Girl Child, we celebrate the courage, determination, and limitless potential of the girls growing up in our homes and around the world.

At The HOME Project, we believe that every girl deserves more than safety. She deserves to be heard, to have opportunities, to make her own choices, and to pursue her dreams without limitations.

Through protection, education, mental health care, legal support, and opportunities for personal growth, we stand beside the girls in our care as they discover their strengths, build their confidence, and take meaningful steps toward independence. This includes teenage mothers, whom we support in continuing their own journeys while caring for their children.

Because empowering a girl is not about deciding what her future should look like. It is about giving her the support, opportunities, and freedom to shape it for herself. ✨💛

Photo Credit: Panos Parthenis, Constantin Papakonstantinou

10/10/2026

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗗𝗔𝗬: At The HOME Project, mental health is at the heart of our Child Protection Model, with support tailored to each child's unique needs.

From play, art, dance, music, cinema, horse riding, and time in nature to specialized psychiatric care for children facing complex mental health challenges, we create different pathways for children to express themselves, process their experiences, build resilience, and heal. 🎨🎶🌿

Caring for children also means caring for those who support them. Through regular interdisciplinary counselling, we help our team navigate the emotional demands of their work, protect their wellbeing, and prevent burnout, so they can continue providing the consistent, compassionate care every child deserves.

Because mental health support is not a single intervention. It is a core component of what we do, every day.

07/10/2026

𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Sports hold a special place in the lives of the children in our care, giving them a chance to have fun, release their energy, build confidence, and develop discipline. ⚽❤️💪

As the new season kicks off, teenagers from our shelters are back on the pitch with Athinais FC, joining mixed teams alongside other young people from across Athens.

On the field, differences fade into the background, replaced by teamwork, shared goals, and the universal language of the game. Beyond the pitch, these connections grow into friendships and a stronger sense of belonging to the community around them.

05/10/2026

𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘: What makes a city feel like home?

Our Chief Operating Officer, Stelios Vellis, joined the panel discussion “Safe and Inclusive Communities for Young People”, organized by KMOP, alongside Marilena Maragkou, Co-Founder & COO of Youthmakers Hub, and Aggeliki Ntoula, Psychologist and Head of Connect your City, and moderated by Charis Kataki, Researcher at KMOP.

At The HOME Project, child protection goes beyond providing a safe home. Through education, sports, arts and culture, community activities, and opportunities to connect with their peers, we support the children in our care to build relationships, discover their interests, and become active and equal members of the community around them. 🎓⚽🎨🎭

“A city starts to feel like your own when you have your school, your friends, your team, your favorite places, and your own memories within it. That is what belonging looks like”, Stelios shared.

30/09/2026

𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘! 📚❤️✨

The HOME Project has been selected to participate in the Reale Foundation’s Together 4 a Better World 2026 contest.

With your vote, you can help us provide additional, dedicated educational support to the youngest children under our care, aged 5–12 years old, helping them build essential language and academic skills, thrive at school, and gain the confidence and tools they need to build their future.

Please vote for The HOME Project and help us make it happen!

Athens is home to a significant number of unaccompanied refugee children who have fled conflict and persecution, often after experiencing family separ

30/09/2026

𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦: Haseeb arrived in Greece alone in 2020, at the age of 16, after fleeing Pakistan. He spent several years in Turkey before eventually crossing into Greece through Evros river. His first months in the country coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, when he stayed in a safe zone in Filippiada and strict restrictions significantly limited everyday life. “We could not go out. We were inside the safe zone with, I think, more than 300 people”, he remembers. “It was like a prison”.

After moving to Athens and eventually being placed in one of The HOME Project shelters, life began to feel different. For Haseeb, the shelter became a place where he could find stability and people he could turn to. “They helped me a lot. Especially my social worker. She took me to doctors and to the psychologist many times. That was the most important thing for me, knowing that I had people on my side”, he says.

After turning 18, Haseeb began working in different kitchens, gradually building his skills and discovering his passion for cooking. Today, he works as a commis chef at a five-star hotel near Athens International Airport. Alongside his work, he is investing in his education. With support from The HOME Project, he secured a scholarship to study Business Administration at University of the People (UoPeople). “It could help me work in bigger restaurants, bigger hotels, in better positions. I believe I can combine my studies with my cooking experience”, he explains.

🔗 Read his full story by clicking the link below:
https://www.homeproject.org/en/on-the-ground/our-voices/hassebs-story/

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28/09/2026

𝗢𝗕𝗔𝗠𝗔-𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗞𝗬 𝗩𝗢𝗬𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: Nine young people, nine different journeys, one shared commitment to public service. 🌍💛✨

This summer, we had the privilege of welcoming nine Voyager Scholars to The HOME Project: Enock from Ball State University, Jacqueline from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Jenna from University of Virginia, Juliane from Tulane University, Megan from Duke University, Rebecca from Howard University, Sydney from Swarthmore College, Scout from Wesleyan University, and Carlos from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign .

Coming from different academic backgrounds and bringing their own experiences, interests, and perspectives, they spent part of their summer volunteering across our network of 13 shelters for unaccompanied refugee children.

At the heart of the experience was something that goes beyond volunteering: human connection and mutual learning. Meaningful public service is not only about what we give, but also about our willingness to listen, learn, challenge our assumptions, and allow the people and communities we meet to shape how we see the world.

We are grateful to all nine Voyagers for choosing to make The HOME Project part of their Summer Voyages, and to the Obama Foundation for its continued collaboration and trust. It is a relationship that holds particular meaning for us, as our Founder and CEO, Sofia Kouvelaki, was selected as a 2020 Obama Foundation Leader in the inaugural Leaders: Europe program, joining a community of changemakers committed to advancing the common good.

Co-founded by former U.S. President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, the Voyager Scholarship for Public Service facilitates opportunities for students to refine their values-based leadership approach, build bridges across communities, and nurture their sense of curiosity as they deepen their commitment to pursuing public service careers.

Watch the full video by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/10NyF5IDPiU

Filming: Panos Parthenis
Editing: Angeliki Maria Gerente

25/09/2026

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬: Teenagers from our shelters stepped into the playful world of the Museum of Illusions Athens, where nothing is quite what it seems. 👀✨❤️

Optical illusions, impossible rooms and mind-bending exhibits turned an afternoon in Athens into a shared experience full of laughter, discovery and surprise.

Activities like this are an important part of everyday life at our shelters: creating opportunities for the children in our care to explore their city, enjoy new experiences together and simply have fun.

23/09/2026

𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Music starts, bodies begin to move, and the room changes. 💃🎶✨

Dance therapy is one of the ways children across our shelters experience the connection between physical and emotional wellbeing. Through rhythm, movement, balance, and coordination, they become more comfortable with their bodies, channel energy, release tension, and build confidence.

There is freedom in moving at your own pace, but also something powerful about finding a rhythm together. Following, leading, improvising, and moving as a group encourage cooperation and awareness of others, while creating moments of spontaneity, laughter, and shared joy.

For children whose lives have often been shaped by circumstances beyond their control, experiences that allow them to make choices, take up space, and feel comfortable in their own bodies can carry particular meaning. Through dance therapy, movement becomes an opportunity to strengthen wellbeing, confidence, and a sense of agency.

21/09/2026

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬: Getting to know a new city means more than learning how to get from one place to another. It means discovering its neighborhoods, parks, people, and everyday rhythms, and gradually finding your own place within them.

For the children in our care, walks around Athens, bike rides, as well as sports and educational activities are all opportunities to become familiar with their new surroundings and experience city life firsthand. 🚲⚽️🌳🌞

Along the way, they learn to navigate their environment, discover new places, interact with the people around them, and build connections beyond the shelter. These everyday experiences are an important part of integration, helping children feel more confident and connected to the community they now call home.