TDH Hellas

child protection
Terre des hommes in Greece

Terre des hommes (Tdh) was founded in 1960 and is the leading Swiss organisation for children’s aid.

Terre des hommes Foundation has been active in Greece continuously since 2016, contributing to the improvement of the child protection system and to the reform of social assistance. We also facilitate the participation of children in the development of their communities.

Click here to learn about all the legal documents guaranteeing our transparency and accountability.

Each year, thousands of children and parents benefit from the projects that Tdh implements in Greece.

From 2022 till 2024

9,274
individuals directly or indirectly benefited through our projects
1,459
professionals got trained in identifying and responding to incidents of child abuse
1,463
children from vulnerable families received support for essential needs
Priorities
  • To protect and promote children's rights by strengthening the protection system. We mobilize communities to prevent risk situations and we collaborate with social workers, coaches, trainers, and other professionals to protect children from abuse and neglect. We seek to increase children’s and youth’s resilience; we help them participate in making decisions that concern them. We invest in education, health, social services, and infrastructure in order to improve the lives of all children in Greece.
  • To support children, youth and families affected by migration.  In this field, our priorities are preventing children’s and youth’s unsafe migration and making sure that children already affected by migration have access to their fundamental rights.
  • To change practices in the Greek justice system to ensure that each child has access to a justice that is respecting their rights and is adapted to their specific situation and needs. We do this by building the capacities of professionals to work in a multidisciplinary way on individual assessments of children involved in criminal proceedings. We also empower children to become agents of change and advocate for child-centered justice. Tdh encourages a restorative approach and a reduction of recidivism. 

What we do

Timeline of Tdh in Greece
March 2016

Closure of the “Balkan route” and start of intervention in the informal camp of Eidomeni in Northern Greece

May 2016

Evacuation of Eidomeni and Tdh activities at the Thessaloniki emergency reception sites

July 2016

Regional migration project starts with border countries (Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia)

October 2016

European Commission funded project begins in Epirus dealing with the areas of Child Protection and Non-Formal Education

January 2017

European Commission funded project launched in the region of Thessaloniki dealing with the areas of child protection and psychosocial support.

2017

Project launched to provide accommodation and social assistance for asylum seekers and refugees in Ioannina and Thessaloniki

2018

Projects expand to include beneficiaries from both Greece and third countries. Intervention to support victims from wildfires at the Attica region.

2019-2020

Projects expand to include child protection case management services for children and their caregivers in nine refugee camps (Attica, Thessaly, Central Macedonia), child-friendly justice, interventions against human trafficking, youth empowerment and social inclusion through sports and art activities.

2021

New project for the prevention and management of child abuse (REEC) starts at primary schools in Athens, in partnership with IRC, and the Municipality of Milano, under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens. Tdh Hellas closes its projects for Child Protection in camps for refugees and safe zones for unaccompanied children following the take over of activities by IOM and the Greek state.

2022

A new emergency project, "DIGNIFY, Emergency Support to Families on the Move" is launched in April, to support families with children who were cut off from the catering provision in the camps following ministerial decisions late last year. 

2023

Terre des hommes Hellas continues its work with key interventions in the areas of child-centered justice, psychosocial support, and the fight against gender-based violence. The WELL-U, STEP IN and Just-Us projects promote the mental health of children and their guardians through community-based methodologies. With the i-Access My Rights and i-Restore 2.0 projects we continue to fight for child-friendly justice. Through the CARING project, the educational community is strengthened in preventing and combating gender-based violence among young people in school settings.

2024

In 2024, Terre des hommes Hellas continued to strengthen its role in child protection in Greece, with a focus on access to justice, mental health, and the prevention of gender-based violence. The i-RESTORE 2.0, i-Access My Rights, and Just-Us projects were completed, promoting restorative and child-friendly justice approaches. At the same time, through the CARING, WELL-U, and STEP IN projects, Tdh Hellas invested in capacity building for professionals and school communities on mental health, safeguarding, and child participation. At the end of the year, the INTACT project was launched, introducing innovative trauma-informed interventions for children and youth with a migrant background.