Dear friends
We need your urgent support. Most of you know the WELCOMMON HOSTEL and the former project WELCOMMON housing and social inclusion center for refugees, two projects of the social cooperative ANEMOS ANANEOSIS / WIND OF RENEWAL since you participated as a volunteer, an intern, a visitor, a friend, a supporter…

Our previous work

In our innovative community center for refugees, WELCOMMON, we have hosted, empowered and supported with non-formal education, art therapy activities, tutoring lessons, social and psychological services more than 600 vulnerable refugees for 1,5 year (9/2016-2/2018). 

Our current work

When the funding for the refugees center stopped suddenly, we decided to open an innovative hostel with social impact. Until today in our new innovative project Welcommon Hostel we combined social issues like sustainable tourism, green & climate action and empowerment – social integration of refugees. Our main purpose is also to empower the people of our program in the day-to-day challenges that they face. The most valuable result of our Welcommon Hostel project is the strong bond that formed between our international volunteers, the staff members of the project, the participating refugees/migrants of the program, the neighborhood and other social actors.

Our ongoing cooperation with volunteering services with global organizations such as Respect for Greece, Vanderbuilt University or EVS is creating a space for connecting and learning from each other. Our goals for the future are to make our network even stronger and build bridges, not only between the countries, but also to build a strong network to support integration in society and the labor market. A further aim is to expand our initiative and include activities with a greater level of focus on topics such as women’s empowerment by better informing and train them on professional opportunities.

Since the funding for our social project ended in February 2018, we had to find ways of supporting ourselves financially entirely on our own! With a lot of effort, but without capiital or access to loans, we rebuilt the accommodation, so
– the five upper floors are an innovative Hostel focused on responsible, sustainable tourism
– on two floors, there is space for non-formal education with refugee children and language lessons for teenagers and adults, painting, dancing, etc

Now we have more than 25 children in school age, 60 teenagers and adult  (a total of 120 refugees this period) Welcommon_Infographic_electronic version. Please see our daily work in www.facebook.com/daysofwelcommon 

This initiative of our social cooperative Anemos Ananeosis/ Wind of Renewal – the WELCOMMON Hostel – is an example how we can create a world of co-existence, as the Hostel is a place of interreligious encounter for symposia, seminars and workshops in Athens, a base for delegates and travellers from all over the world, an island of peace in a world of wars, (because of its location in a poor quarter of Athens) a place of social understanding, a place of cultural encounter to promote respect and solidarity, a bridge connecting local communities with new comers, asocial experiment for the smooth integration of refugees from different cultural and religious backgrounds in Europe.

The WELCOMMON Hostel is also a center for social and green innovation.

Why we need your urgent support

As the social project has no income and the costs for the additional expenses for the social activities, the use of the rooms and the accommodation of our volunteers, bills and use of infrastructure cost around 8.000-10.000 Euro per month, the Hostel is not able yet to cover all the costs. Due to restrictions on bank funding in Greece it is essential for the existence of this project to find alternative resources until the hostel can finance the social project on its own!

Because of the very strict laws in Greece, the owner of the building is forcing us to pay at least three rents in advance by the end of May. Otherwise, he will evict us and we have to stop all our programs we are carrying out the last months and all the planned future objectives!!!

We are in a seriously urgent situation for the future of our existing social project and the WELCOMMON HOSTEL as such. We have only 20 days to find the way to pay the ammount of 70.000 euros. A donor will contribute with 20.000 euros if we are able to find 30.000 and we will contribute with own resources with 20.000. Every form of support is needed to find the amount of  70.000 euro by 26^th of May so we will be able to continue our work, which is so necessary for the situation of the refugees and local society in Greece, as the asylum policies are getting stricter and the integration of people harder.

Of course, you can support us

– with a direct amount with 100, 500, 1000 or more euro in our bank account (you will receive an invoice for your donation)

– you could organize an event with our great social purpose like a brunch, a dinner or a party.

–you could find friends who would like to visit Athens and book immediately rooms in our WELCOMMON HOSTEL in May and pay their accommodation through our website (www.welcommonhostel.gr)

Please share your ideas with us in order to organize it together! But this must be done quick.

Please share this call for support with your communities, universities, friends or other organizations and Institutions.

Donations for our social activities:

ANEMOS ANANEOSIS / WIND OF RENEWAL

Piraeus Bank
IBAN: GR83 0172 0180 0050 1807 7868 253

Piraeus’s BIC code is PIRBGRAA