Spending time at the beach was the loveliest time of their trip to Sifnos, according to young Fatime from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Elena Karagianni
A large group of children – and their luggage – are eagerly waiting to board the morning ferry to Sifnos island at Piraeus Port. They take selfies with their tickets in hand and kiss goodbye to those who came to see them off. If the group were not speaking a mixture of Farsi, Greek, Ukrainian and English, nothing would distinguish them from the rest of the tourists departing in mid-June for the Cycladic islands.
“The only thing I’m worried about is if I will feel seasick,” says 15-year-old Fatime from Afghanistan, one of the children taking part in the summer trip to Sifnos.
For 30 years, the island of Sifnos has been inviting and welcoming children every year who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to enjoy summer holidays. Thanks to the efforts of Giannis and Ntina Lazaridis, a large network has been set up to ensure some respite and normalcy for children like Fatime.
This year’s trip to Sifnos is coordinated for the third time by Elena Karagianni, the Refugee Education Coordinator at the refugee accommodation site of Schisto. 15 children and another three adult escorts are taking part, all refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq and Iran. Most didn’t know each other before the trip, but little by little, they become companions, letting the healing effects of the sea and the hospitality of the people of Sifnos soften the impact of the challenges they have been through.
“This effort began in 1993, when we started hosting children affected by the war in Bosnia”, says 85-year-old Giannis Lazaridis, who owns accommodation on the island and spearheaded these summer trips.
“The days the children spend on the island are a celebration for everyone. The whole island, with its businesses and shops, assists with the meals of the children and all the essentials for their vacation.”
After the first trip for children from Bosnia, Mr. Giannis continued hosting children from Georgia, as well as children from Greece who had been living in child protection facilities and orphanages and young people with disabilities.
Almost 30 years have passed since this photo was taken, found in the archive of Mr. Giannis and Ms. Ntina Lazaridi. They had hosted children from Georgia back then. This year they hosted children from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, and Iran.
“Anyone I have asked on Sifnos to support these special holidays have always responded positively”, Mr. Giannis says. Everyone helps to ensure that alongside the accommodation, there would be free ferry tickets, safe beaches to swim at, restaurants providing all the meals and buses to move them around.
“It is an effort of the people of Sifnos. People here are welcoming, they will give you everything they have. This year, we also have the support of the Mayor of Sifnos”, he adds.
Mr. Giannis himself felt the love of the island that embraced him when he moved there at a young age. He was born in Chalkiades, Farsala, but originates from Volos city, from where his family was uprooted when everything they had was destroyed during the German occupation.
He went to Sifnos for the first time to work as a builder and never left. He met and married Ms. Ntina who comes from Sifnos, and had two children together. He was actively involved for years in public affairs through the local municipal council and the labor center of the island. Now he splits his time between Athens and Sifnos, where he looks forward to welcoming a different group of children every summer.
“At the beginning there is some awkwardness among so many different people with different languages, but gradually the ice breaks. That’s what happened this year. The children began to exchange words, teasing each other, playing together by the beach. They met other children at the seaside. Eventually, they refused to come out of the water!” Elena Karagianni explains.
“The children living in the camp, in containers, have limited activities and options beyond their school. Many come from very different societies and cultures, so this trip to a Cycladic island was a revelation,” she adds.
For the children from Ukraine who are living with their mothers in Athens and were a bit shy at the beginning, the games and laughter on the beach quickly changed things and everyone was playing together. As a mother from Ukraine said, it was the best week her children had spent in the last year.
“We visited the house of Mr. Giannis and Ms. Ntina every evening and had watermelon. The best moment of the trip was the last night when they organized a party for us. They also brought a birthday cake for me and a boy from the group, as we had our birthday some days before”, Fatime describes.
“There are children who have never seen the sea. They are having a good time here, they are happy. They are children who have grown up among destruction, fires, and hardship. This is the duty of every human being. We cannot leave the children on the streets”, Mr. Giannis says firmly.
For Mr. Giannis and Ms. Dina, his partner in life and this solidarity initiative, the most difficult part is the day the children leave the island. They hope to continue to support and coordinate these trips as far into the future as possible.
Mr. Giannis and Ms. Ntina Lazaridi outside their house on Sifnos, where they meet the children every evening. “Their eyes have seen so much,” says Ms. Ntina. “My little pumpkins need psychological support. They have so much fun here. We just talk with them.” Photo courtesy of Elena Karagianni.
Holding their tickets, this year’s group comprised of 15 children and 4 adults, is getting ready to board the ferry to Sifnos. ©UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis
Katerina from Ukraine and her 8-year-old daughter Sofia, waiting to board the ferry to Sifnos. Katerina came to Greece in March and is being volunteering ever since helping her compatriots at Opora centre. “My mind was ready to explode, so I decided that I needed to do something to help.” ©UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis
Natalie, a teacher from Kiyv, Ukraine, bids farewell to the ship leaving for Sifnos. Among the children is also her teenage daughter, going on vacation alone for the very first time. ©UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis
Maryam from Iran with her 10-month-daughter Maya, who became the group’s mascot on Sifnos as all the older children wanted to look after her. ©UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis
Spending time at the beach was the loveliest time of their trip to Sifnos, according to young Fatime from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Elena Karagianni
It has been encouraging that the example of Sifnos has become known, as Elena Karagianni notes, and there has been interest expressed from other regions to organize similar initiatives.
“The example of Sifnos island is really moving and inspiring. Everyone contributes however they can, so the entire island participates in this act of solidarity. This is something that is really needed, so that people forced to flee, especially children, can regain some sense of normality in the societies that welcome them,” said Louise Donovan, UNHCR spokesperson in Greece.
“We thank them very much for these days. If it weren’t for them, I’d spend all my summertime at home,” says Fatime. This was her first summer trip to a Greek island and also the first time she spent so many days away from her family. “On the first day it was difficult to go to Sifnos and on the last day it was difficult to leave Sifnos”, she admits.
Mr. Giannis and Ms. Ntina keep in contact with many of the over 600 children who spent their summers with them over the years, even decades later.
“My grandfather used to say: can you do something good? Do it. Just don’t do bad”, says Mr. Giannis.
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