On 12 July, several refugees were invited to Peiraios 260 to attend a performance of enfant by the acclaimed French choreographer Boris Charmatz, on the occasion of the Francophonie Day, as part of a collaboration between TV5MONDE and Athens & Epidaurus Festival.
This marks the second consecutive year in which the Francophonie Day is jointly organized by the Athens & Epidaurus Festival and TV5MONDE, in collaboration with the Accommodation and Services Scheme for Asylum Seekers of the City of Athens and the NGO SolidarityNow. A group of refugees had attended an Il pomo d’oro concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus last June, as part of the same initiative.
The organizations which collaborated for this initiative include:
• The Accommodation and Services Scheme for Asylum Seekers: It is realized through the Development and Tourist Destination Management (EATA) of the City of Athens, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), funded by Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation (ESTIA) of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). Over 4,050 beneficiaries from various countries (Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Congo and others) have joined the programme. Over 1,850 of them have been relocated to various European countries (Germany, France, UK) as part of the relocation programme. The programme caters to the needs of about 1,650 beneficiaries, who are accommodated in 320 rented apartments.
• The NGO SolidarityNow: Founded in 2013, it is an initiative of Open Society Foundations. It aims at supporting vulnerable groups, fighting against social and economic exclusion, and defending individual and civil rights. SolidarityNow envisions an open society through the empowerment of vulnerable groups. They have worked together with over 70 organizations of the Civil Society and have so far supported over 120,000 individuals.
