Action For Education
Action for Education (AFE) was established in 2018 by a group of long-term volunteers as an urgent response to the appalling conditions endured by refugee children and youth on the Greek islands. Over its first year and a half, the organisation grew from one centre to three, providing a holistic non-formal education service catering to children and youth aged 6 to 22 years on the island of Chios. Working with hundreds of volunteers from the refugee community itself as well as from many other countries, AFE wanted to offer the specialised, safe spaces crucial to building resilience and community within an unstable and often hostile environment.
In 2018, AFE expanded its work and opened a youth center on the island of Samos, three hours south of Chios. Shortly after, there were already three, including an educational center for 18-23 year olds, a safe space for children aged 2 -7 years, called The Nest, and a computer lab to provide IT classes and computer access.