Press conference and guided tour of the new MdM reception centre for unaccompanied minors
After long months of preparation, today, 11th October, MdM-Greece is opening the doors of its new reception centre for unaccompanied minors. It is almost a year since MdM decided to convert an already existing building into a model reception centre for unaccompanied minors.
The dream has now become a reality. The centre that has been created is tailored to the needs of 100 children for whom it will provide shelter, food and education, and where they can engage in creative activities and exercise while enjoying the care and primarily the safety it is our duty as a society to provide to each and every child the world over.
The reception centre for unaccompanied minors forms part of the project entitled «Emergency support to assist the most vulnerable migrants stranded in Greece». It is funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and has been established in conjunction with the International Organisation for Migration.
In his brief intervention, the president of MDM Greece, Nikitas Kanakis, spoke of the excellent cooperation between MdM, the IOM and the other stakeholders. He stressed that when MdM speaks publicly about an issue, it commits to becoming part of the solution. Thus today in the form of this model reception centre, it was offering Greek society its own tangible proposal for unaccompanied minors. Concluding, he pointed out that this project did not in any way burden the state budget, and evidences the fact that major projects can be implemented when organisations and society work together.
In attendance at today’s press conference and guided tour of the facilities were the Alternate Minister for Migration Policy, Yiannis Mousalas, the Alternate Minister for Social Solidarity, Theano Fotiou, the International Organisation for Migration chief of mission, Daniel Esdras, the mayor of Paiania, Spiros Stamos and Dimitris Karantonis, Chief of Police at Paiania police station. The event was well attended by the media, both Greek and foreign alike.