Athens, Greece, is known for its incredible cuisine, raging nightlife, and ocean views. For many, it is the place to visit if you want to dive into a rich culture during a vacation. But for others — those arriving from the Middle East and Africa — Greece is the gateway into Europe. It has become a transit and destination country for many refugees and asylum seekers.
Those who are no longer safe in their own countries due to unrest, war, and persecution make the difficult decision to leave everything behind and travel by boat through treacherous waters, hoping they make it alive and touch ground in Greece. Assuming they make it to Athens, then what? They don’t know the language, they stand out among the others, and they are carrying fear and trauma. Now they have to start all over, but how?
Humanitarian Initiative Bridges, a Convoy of Hope partner programme, is there to answer all of the questions. And not only that, Bridges exists to meet those needs. In 2023 and 2024, more than 8,000 women landed in Greece. By the end of 2024, 2,556 women had gone through the Women’s Empowerment programme at the Bridges centre. But at the programme, our partners don’t see numbers — they see the face of every woman who walks in, and they know each one by name.
Here, they have one-on-one empowerment sessions with the women who are in crisis. The empowerment can include everything from assistance with government documents to health education. Licensed social workers are on the ground at the centre as well, helping women and families adjust.
This Convoy of Hope Women’s Empowerment partnership is working against all odds to bring change and hope to the lives of the women they encounter. They understand that empowering women and girls to advocate for themselves transforms families and generations to come. At Bridges, women are seen and treated as humans. They are taught their value and their worth. Barriers are broken down and women are built up.
And it doesn’t stop in Greece. Convoy of Hope has Women’s Empowerment programmes all over the world. When a woman sees and understands her value, she is capable and resilient. Entire families are changed from the inside out when women are empowered, encouraged, and filled with hope. That hope is contagious, and it’s growing.
