Our history
Oct 2015 – Feb 2017: Emergency response
In October 2015, Raquel Herzog flew to Lesvos to volunteer to assist refugees arriving on the beaches of the Greek island. This experience changed her profoundly, and she decided to establish an organisation offering long-term support to refugees in Greece.
On 24th February 2016, she founded SAO Association in Switzerland and continued to be active on the beaches of Lesvos with several volunteers. The SAO van worked as a makeshift distribution centre for warm clothes, blankets and rescue foils, and it transported people in need to the UNHCR buses that took them to register at the camp.
After the borders closed and the easy access to other European countries stopped, displaced people were stuck in Greece. From March to August 2016, thousands lived in inhumane conditions in the port of Piraeus. A group of SAO-volunteers took care of the approximately 1,300 people living in and around the so-called ‘Stonehouse’. They distributed donations in kind, provided minimal medical care, organised baby food and better accommodation for those in need of protection, and took people to the hospital in SAO’s van when necessary.
At the same time, SAO ran one of the country's largest warehouses for relief goods on Lesvos. We received donations from all over the world, which were distributed to refugees, camps and other NGOs on Lesvos and in mainland Greece, as well as to local people in need. In early 2017, SAO handed over the warehouse to a local organisation.
«After the first week of volunteering, it was clear to me that I wanted to make a longer-term and sustainable commitment to displaced people.»
Raquel Herzog, SAO Founder
2017 to now: Focus on Women - Assistance, Empowerment, Inclusion
As the situation evolved following the closing of the borders within Europe, the needs of the displaced people also changed. Fewer people were entering the country and all had to stay for an extended period while awaiting decisions on their status.
Additionally, it was clear that vulnerable women who travelled alone or with children, and survivors of violence and abuse needed a space to feel safe, cover their basic needs, receive the psychosocial support they needed and begin the next chapter of their lives after the dangerous journey to Greece. This is how the Bashira Day Centre was born in 2017.
As the needs of displaced women in the Athens area increased, SAO founded the Amina Day Centre in the city centre in 2018. Here, women found psychosocial support, learning opportunities and guidance to improve their life in the capital.
From 2019 to 2020, three young displaced women, first supported by SAO on Lesvos in 2016, overcame institutional and language barriers. Thanks to our pilot project Back on Track Academic, they completed their academic studies.
In 2020, our programmatic work was enriched with inclusion-focused activities in both centres, enabling displaced women to develop livelihood skills. From 2017 to 2024, more than 1,800 women registered at our facilities.
