How we work
Our approach
We are committed to transparency and accountability, which is why our organisation is audited annually by independent auditors. In addition, we conduct regular internal audits. Read our most recent independent auditors' report here.
The safety of the women, their children, our staff and our volunteers is our top priority. To ensure this, we adhere to strict internal policies based on IASC standards.
The SAO Code of Conduct and our policies demonstrate how we uphold our values transparently. They outline how we work and what others can expect from us, ensuring accountability to the women we support, our funders and the public.
What makes our work unique is our focus on quality and the time we invest to empower women to find solutions.
© Helena Schätzle/ SAO
We organise our programmes to be flexible because we want to adapt them to the needs of the displaced populations in the different contexts of Lesvos and Athens. In our Day Centres, we welcome displaced women regardless of their background and assist them in a language they understand. We provide psychosocial support and inclusion services in Arabic, Farsi, English and French.
At SAO, we believe in collaboration and so we work closely with grassroots initiatives, other non-governmental organisations and institutions, such as municipalities and state authorities.
We focus on women
Our work is dedicated to women because, in addition to the threat of poverty, they face discrimination and barriers simply for being women. Some are survivors of gender-based violence, which occurred at home or during their perilous trip to Greece. Some are single mothers or women who travelled alone.
Moreover, gender norms often confine them to stereotypical roles, leaving them solely responsible for their children. By focusing on women, we work for gender equality within vulnerable populations and advocate for their rights. We give them tools to thrive and create a healthier environment for their children. We support them in empowering themselves, becoming agents of change, removing barriers and achieving inclusion in their new community.
© Helena Schätzle/ SAO
Areas of work
Our team works together with women who choose to trust us at a critical point in their lives. We help them manage traumatic experiences, regain their strength and maximise their skills. We support their efforts to build safe, independent and fulfilling lives, free from adversity, suffering and gender-based violence. To achieve this, we focus on three key areas of support, which complement each other and offer choices to the women we serve. So, our programmatic work includes the areas of assistance, empowerment and inclusion.
Assistance in meeting basic needs
Displaced people arriving in Greece have often lost everything. We believe that meeting their basic needs is the essential first step before they can focus on improving their own lives, the lives of their families and ultimately, their communities. At SAO Day Centres, they receive assistance with dignity and respect. We provide clothing, personal hygiene items, school supplies, supermarket coupons, transportation costs to and from the centres, showers and laundry services in Athens.
Empowerment through psychosocial support
At SAO, we recognise each woman as an individual with her own needs and aspirations. We equip her with the information and guidance to make her own decisions about her future. She is free to choose how to engage with our programmes and has opportunities to voice her needs and provide feedback. She develops a personalised plan with our social workers and cultural mediators and receives the tools to pursue it. She also has access to psychological support from our professionals to work through the issues holding her back. Through this, she regains confidence and moves forward in her life.
Inclusion through education
Displaced women should have the opportunity to thrive and contribute to society. At our Day Centres, on Lesvos and in Athens, they receive reliable information and guidance on enrolling their children to school, accessing healthcare, social benefits and free transportation. This enables them to leave their homes to visit doctors or meet with lawyers. Through our language programme, they can also learn Greek so that they can secure employment. Those clients who are ready, are supported financially to take the Certification of Attainment in Greek exams. We also run workshops on useful skills, such as sewing, computer skills, interview preparation and CV writing.
Safety and transparency are our priorities
We are committed to transparency and accountability, which is why our organisation is audited annually by independent auditors. In addition, we conduct regular internal audits. Read our most recent independent auditors' report here.
The safety of the women, their children, our staff and our volunteers is our top priority. To ensure this, we adhere to strict internal policies based on IASC standards.
The SAO Code of Conduct and our policies demonstrate how we uphold our values transparently. They outline how we work and what others can expect from us, ensuring accountability to the women we support, our funders and the public.
We are committed to abiding by the:
- SAO Association Hellas Code of Conduct
- Prevention of Fraud and Corruption Policy
- Donations Policy
- Protection Against Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse Policy
-Child Protection Policy
-Psychosocial Support Policy
Glossary
Clients
In keeping with international norms for psychosocial support, we refer to the women served in our programmes as clients.
Displaced women
Our clients have different statuses, which can change over time. They can be new arrivals in Greece, asylum seekers or refugees. We refer to them as displaced women.
Inclusion
“Inclusion is an approach that values diversity and aims to afford equal rights and opportunities by creating conditions which enable the full and active participation of every member of society.” [1] While integration assumes that a smaller out-group must be integrated into a larger relatively homogenous group, inclusion views all people as equal individuals, allowing everyone to be part of the whole, without discrimination based on personal characteristics. At SAO, we work for the inclusion of displaced women and their families within the receiving communities.