Our Mission:
Fill gaps in humanitarian protection for people seeking refuge.
ORIGIN STORY
Refugees have been crossing from Turkey to Greece’s Aegean islands under perilous conditions for decades. However, in 2015 the escalation of conflict in Syria and other disruptive occurrences displaced an unprecedented number of people worldwide, driving 1.3 million to seek asylum in Europe.
Almost half of them (500,018 according to UNHCR) arrived via the village of Skala Sikamineas on the north shore of Lesvos.
The fishing village’s 140 residents struggled to support so many people in urgent need of food, shelter, clothing and medical care.
“There are 100 people in this village. When the refugees were coming, there were 50-60 boats per day. We were all alone. ”
LIGHTHOUSE RELIEF IS FORMED
In September 2015, as the average number of daily arrivals neared its peak of 4,000, volunteers from Sweden, Norway, Syria, Spain, and the UK met in Skala Sykamineas and coordinated the first round-the-clock emergency response.
They kept a lookout for vessels stranded at sea and greeted people coming ashore with warm blankets. In a field across from the beach, they set up a camp offering treatment for hypothermia, a hot meal, dry clothes, and other respites. These volunteers become the founders of Lighthouse Relief.
Since then, the type of support we provide has evolved according to shifting needs and circumstances. However, our commitment to providing safe harbor per International refugee law and fundamental human decency never waivers.
The lighthouse at Korakas, on the north shore of Lesvos where we ran round-the-clock lookout for people stranded at sea. This is the lighthouse that inspired our name and logo.
— Aliya Abidi, describing the early days of Lighthouse Relief
OUR VALUES AND
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Inclusivity, transparency, and human dignity shape our organisational practices. Lighthouse Relief is committed to learning and growing from our efforts, especially when we fall short. We aim to uplift the members of the community we work with in everything we do. We center refugee and asylum seeker voices when developing programming, sharing stories, and advocating for human rights and international protections. We welcome feedback and implement strategies to improve our practices.
A look at our trauma-informed Approach
Lighthouse Relief’s current programming, reignited in June 2025, operates under the umbrella of our Sports & Safe Spaces. Our trauma-informed approach to holistic psychosocial support is three-fold and informed by the needs of the community. To respond to a need for recreational activities that support mental and physical health, we offer football sessions to youth living in Ritsona Refugee Camp. Female and child-friendly spaces are also vital to mental wellbeing. In partnership with the Sama Community Centre and many other local, grassroots NGOs (including EmpowerVan, ELNOR, WHOM), we foster community resilience, social integration, confidence building, and self-determination through informal education programmes — spanning English and Greek languages classes, vocational training, female healthcare — and creative and recreational workshops — in pottery, dance, and self-defense. These Safe Spaces are open to all women and their young children living in Ritsona and Malakasa Camps. Our third avenue of support is through essential distributions of clothing, hygiene items, and blankets. These distributions, open to residents of Malakasa and Ritsona, are organised monthly through the Sama Community Centre and in collaboration with partners. All of our programming includes transportation to and from sessions and refugee camps to ensure accessibility.
LHR’s Sport & Safe SPaces: Theory of change
Expanding Sports & Safe Spaces Together
Every decision we make in the development of our programmes is shaped by a clear sense of purpose — to fill gaps in humanitarian protection for people seeking refuge. We remain open to exploring partnerships that can help us expand our impact and reach through diverse opportunities and increased accessibility. If you are interested in joining our network of partners committed to implementing thoughtful, dignified, and lasting systems of support, please explore our 2026 project proposal below and reach out to our team for more information.