Jawad, refugee from Afghanistan, is now supporting other refugees, as part of the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk team in Greece. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
The incoming flow of calls, emails and messages through social media never stops for the Protection Helpdesk of the UNHCR Office in Athens. On one end of the line, are asylum-seekers and refugees seeking advice about the issues they face in their daily life in Greece. On the other side of the line are Valeria, Jihad, Jawad, Rizgkar, Anna and Mohammed who stand ready to respond to their questions in their own language. Their voices and different languages mix, create a buzzing, multicultural hive.
They are all a team which connects with different units of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Greece and other partner organizations, to help refugees find solutions to their problems.
Jawad, originally from Afghanistan, fled his country and arrived in Greece in 2016 after a long and perilous journey. The support he received from the organizations in the sites where he first stayed inspired him to offer the same for other refugees. Soon after his arrival, he decided to work on refugee protection and mental health.
“I used to live in a camp, and I was the one seeking assistance. Then, I found myself in the position to provide support and listen to other refugees’ needs. It was then that I realized that this was not an easy job at all”, Jawad explains.
Rizgkar, refugee from Iraq, now works at the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk team in Greece providing essential support and information to refugees and asylum-seekers in need. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
Similarly, Rizgkar, a refugee from Iraq, felt the need to support uprooted people who are facing the same struggles he did. Twenty-five years have passed since he arrived in Greece after fleeing his country, but he can still recall the emotions he experienced.
“It is hard to remember everything I lived, but I understand exactly what other refugees are going through today. After all these years, I still recall all the feelings of becoming a refugee. The emotions of leaving your country against your will and arriving in a community you know nothing about”, Rizgkar explains.
This common experience often makes the communication more direct between the UNHCR team and the refugees calling for advice. It helps build trust and understanding. Communication is further facilitated by the fact that the team of the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk provides information directly in the languages that the refugees speak: Arabic, Farsi, Sorani, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, English and French. Communication in other languages is also possible through the help of interpreters.
“We come from the same communities as those we support, and we speak the same languages, so it is much easier for us to understand the problems and the conditions in which they live”, says Rizgkar.
The team deploys different channels of communication to reach out and help as many refugees as possible. In addition to responding to phone calls and emails, they capitalize on technology and social media, and also meet refugee communities in person to offer information and support.
Mohammed, member of the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk team in Greece, is managing the Operation’s HELP website, available in 10 languages, and social media channels addressing to refugees and asylum-seekers in need. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
Another important tool used by UNHCR to provide information to refugees and asylum-seekers about life in Greece and the related administrative procedures is the HELP website, managed by Mohammed. The website, which is available in Arabic, Farsi, French, English, Greek, Turkish, Somali, Sorani, Ukrainian and Urdu, also includes a contact form that reaches the Protection Helpdesk team.
In addition, Mohammed is also managing the newly established digital media channels of UNHCR Greece which are addressed to refugees in the country: the Information Point on Facebook and the WhatsApp automatic information system.
“From our assessments we have seen that refugees are receiving information mostly from other refugees and from digital channels. Therefore, we thought that we should communicate with them via the platforms they already use and try to provide the correct information at the right moment”, Mohammed explains.
Valeria, member of the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk team in Greece, during an information session at a community centre in downtown Athens, providing valuable information to the centre’s staff. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
In the context of their daily work, Valeria and Jihad, also members of the team, visit community centres in Athens. They deliver information sessions to the staff of the centre on issues that the refugee community faces most frequently, such as asylum procedures and access to public services. The aim is to strengthen the expertise of the staff in the community centres, so that they can, in turn, provide accurate information to refugees who seek their help. Similar information sessions are provided by the UNHCR team directly to refugees and asylum-seekers.
“Both staff and refugees might have access to information which, in some cases, is either fragmented, partial or false. Our job is to correct and complement this information, and to put it into context”, Jihad says.
The most common and challenging requests the team receives are about finding accommodation, legal aid and support at the borders or in detention facilities. In a recent case, two homeless unaccompanied children from Afghanistan were looking for shelter and food. The team responded immediately by connecting them with the National Emergency Response Mechanism for Unaccompanied Children Living in Precarious Conditions, through which they received emergency housing and direct assistance.
Jihad, member of the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk team in Greece, while providing essential support and information to refugees and asylum-seekers in need. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
This type of work can often get tough and take a toll on the team’s psychology. Jihad remembers the first call she ever received. It was a distress call from asylum-seekers at sea who were at risk of drowning. She describes how much the call affected her emotionally, as well as how the support she received from colleagues gave her the strength to rise to the occasion and handle the case appropriately.
“We do get emotional often. After all, we are human beings, and we get affected. We feel that it’s only by luck that we are not in their position”, Valeria says.
Ukrainians are amongst the top nationalities asking for UNHCR’s support in the last year, primarily to find work. Anna, who was born and raised in Ukraine and has been living in Greece for 13 years, is their go-to person. She wants to help as much as she can her compatriots who are going through difficult times.
“It is hard knowing that there are many people from your country facing tremendous problems and that you are not a superhero to help them all”, Anna says.
Anna(L) and Valeria(R), members of the UNHCR Protection Helpdesk team in Greece, while reviewing requests received from refugees and asylum-seekers through the dedicated Help platform. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis
“When you are working on a case and the options are sometimes limited, there can be frustration. But at the end of the day, even if one person is helped, that is very important”, Jawad adds.
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UNHCR’s Protection Helpdesk provides support to asylum-seekers and refugees, by assisting individuals, groups and refugee communities wherever they live throughout Greece. The Protection Helpdesk runs with the financial support of the European Union and can be reached at:
Phone number: +302162007800
Email: [email protected]
Website: UNHCR HELP Greece
Facebook: UNHCR Greece Information Point
UNHCR Greece WhatsApp automatic information channel: text +302112347078 or click here
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