MENTAL HEALTH
& PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

Safe Spaces for Women

Since 2016, Lighthouse Relief has provided psychosocial support (PSS) through fostering safe spaces and providing structured activities, including sports. Originally responding to needs on the shoreline of Lesvos and in camps on mainland Greece, several policy restrictions over the last decade have forced us to pivot, moving to provide support outside of camp walls.

Ritsona Refugee Camp, where LHR has provided PSS since 2016, is one of the largest camps in Europe. Ritsona is located in an isolated industrial area 75 km from Athens, and hosts approximately 2,000 men, women and children, most of whom are awaiting decisions on their asylum applications.

2024 has seen the highest number of arrivals of people seeking refuge in Greece since 2016. Crowded camps lack basic services such as hygiene centers, access to a reliable source of running water or electricity, and private spaces, gaps that can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, particularly those experienced by women.

With services for refugees already restricted, women are especially in need of safe spaces to relax and connect. Lighthouse Relief’s psychosocial support programmes aim to fill these gaps in humanitarian protection through safe spaces and sports for people seeking refuge.

In 2023, as restrictions on camps increased, Lighthouse Relief along with many other NGOs, lost access to its spaces within the camp. In response to these restrictions, we adapted to provide psychosocial support from outside the camp. See our current programming in facilities in Chalkida and Malakasa, below.

HOW WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE WELL-BEING
OF RITSONA RESIDENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE CAMP.

In June 2025, Lighthouse Relief reignited our programming offered to residents of Ritsona Refugee Camp and expanded our services to residents of Malakasa Camp, 40km north of Athens. Our current programmes provide sports and safe spaces to refugee families and young people in two of the largest and most densely populated camps in Europe.

Sessions for women and children

Our current programmes include two dedicated safe spaces, made possible through partnerships with committed humanitarian organisations on mainland Greece. Lighthouse Relief offers a weekly session for women and children at the Sama Community Center.

In partnership with Refugym, these trauma-informed sessions offer a much needed outlet for connection and resilience. Women share stories and participate in well-being and relaxation activities such as dance, yoga, sports, and jewellery making, while their children play freely. Women are also able to join self-defense workshops led by EmpowerVan which help them build confidence and physical strength.

Summer camp

Lighthouse Relief brought back one of our successful projects from 2024, a summer camp for families, expanding access to all residents of Malakasa Refugee Camp, including men who are often not considered to be a “vulnerable” group.

These sessions, offered three times a week, provided a welcoming space for refugees and asylum seekers to play sports, enjoy arts and crafts, drink coffee and chai while socializing, sharing slam poetry, or developing their English skills. Our partnership with Project Armonia, supplied fresh and nutritious meals to participants every session, helping to fuel community and resilience.

our ACTIVITIES SERVE AS ANTIDOTES TO THE BOREDOM, ANXIETY, AND HARDSHIPS OF LIVING IN A STATE OF LEGAL LIMBO WITHIN THE GRIM CONFINES OF AN ISOLATED CAMP.

Fund our Projects →

LIGHTHOUSE RELIEF IS COMMITTED TO LEARNING AND GROWING FROM OUR PAST PROGRAMMES.

From 2016 to early 2023, Lighthouse Relief worked inside Ritsona Camp to support residents’ well-being through safe spaces, with daily educational and recreational activities ranging from football tournaments to photography workshops, English classes, and more. 

Since 2016, thousands of children and teens have had the chance to forget their troubles for a little while in our safe, cheerful spaces. Over these seven years, Lighthouse Relief facilitated a Child Friendly Space (CFS), Youth Engagement Space (YES), Little Lighthouse programme, along with a Female Friendly Space (FFS), Infant and Young Child Feeding Programme (IYCF) and Resident Volunteer Programme. Many participants reported that engagement in these spaces helped them regain lost hope for their futures and alleviated the stress of life in displacement.

  • From 2021 to 2022, we ran the Little Lighthouse programme inside Ritsona Camp. The space offered early childhood development support for 3-5 year-olds to develop social skills, gain exposure to multiple languages, and learn how to regulate their emotions through play and learning activities. The reach of our child-friendly space expanded in 2022 to also serve older children up to the age of 14, offering arts and crafts, sports, and games that promote healthy habits, gender equality, and respect for others. From June to December 2023, we operated the Little Lighthouse with our partners in Athens, helping children find stability with daily sessions offering similar activities to our programme inside Ritsona. Their parents were welcome to join in the activities or enjoy a quiet moment and a reprieve from childcare responsibilities in the adjacent room.

  • In March 2018, the team in Ritsona launched the first phase of our Resident Volunteer programme. A formalised version of the sports programme, initially included in the CFS and YES, launched in August 2020 in order to increase the number of resident volunteers (RVs) and to offer them structured training and help them develop skills they can use when leaving the camp.

  • Our Youth Engagement Space (YES) started in February 2017, in response to the unanswered need for support for teenagers and young adults living in Ritsona Camp - particularly boys and young men, who are traditionally left out of humanitarian assistance as they are not seen as a vulnerable group. Inspired by the Tree of Hope, one of the first youth-led initiatives which became a powerful symbol of resilience, developed in part by a young participant who transformed his initial hopelessness into a work of strength and collective healing.

    The YES was shaped by youth interests and areas of need. The LHR team invited skilled professionals to provide workshops and created an environment for youth to work on collaborative projects like the Ritsona Kingdom Journal. LHR also provided access to informal support through peers and a Social Worker in the YES Manager. The space evolved further, representing a drop-in center for youth to access English, art, and more workshops as well as a place for them to work on their own independent projects.

  • LHR’s flagship programme in Ritsona Camp, CFS, started in April 2016. The purpose of the CFS was to offer psychosocial support services to reinforce the resilience and wellbeing of children. In addition to offering structured play, LHR identified and referred vulnerable cases to the protection actor on site.