Greece
Volunteer in Greece to participate in sustainable primary healthcare clinics for refugees, and other vulnerable populations in Athens. Your participation ensures asylum seekers and refugees have access to regular medical care and consults with the pediatricians, gynecologists, and ophthalmologists of the GB Athens Clinic.
What You’ll Do During a Brigade in Greece
When your Brigade Chapter travels to Greece, you’ll work alongside local doctors at the Urban Clinic in Athens on an appointment basis to:
- Provide primary health care for asylum seekers
- Work in intake
- Shadow physicians
- Provide health education workshops
- Make sure patients’ medical records are updated into our databases
Medical referrals are provided to specialists and the public health system for needs beyond the scope of the Brigade.
To develop an understanding of the unique needs and sensitivities of asylum seekers, refugees, and other vulnerable populations, you’ll receive intensive training prior to and during your Brigade.
Unlike some of our other program countries, there will be ample time to participate in cultural activities in the surrounding area of Athens.
Background About Our Work in Greece
In 2018, Global Brigades was invited to Greece to explore filling a void for health care services for the Refugee Populations.
After the 2015 European Refugee Crisis, Greece became the main entry point to Europe for populations fleeing war and persecution. The vast majority of asylum seekers are stuck in transit in a country where many international health agencies lost funding to provide care and pulled out.
Our team traveled to Greece, validated the need, and grew enthusiastic about the enormous potential of adapting our tenants of development work. We clearly saw how our vision of our holistic model, empowerment of community members, and increased collaboration with local government and NGOs in this unique setting could support the needs of asylum seekers.
In 2019, we hired a local staff, and formed an official partnership with KEELPNO (the Greek health department) to support a program previously responsible for coordinating and providing healthcare services in all camps known as PHILOS2.
With our Pilots Medical Brigades, we were able to provide much needed care in camps outside of Athens. This experience, and the strong collaboration with other local NGOs and the Athens Municipality, enabled us to identify the need for a consistent regular care for refugee populations living in Athens.
Consistent with our programmatic methodology, we started implementing Medical Brigades to build trust and gather insight to develop a unique holistic model for refugees and asylum seekers aspiring for integration.
In 2020, we worked on establishing our own stable Polyclinic in Athens to provide free, consistent and broad health coverage to vulnerable populations. The Clinic, located in the center of Athens receives patients referred by other NGOs, residents of refugee camps and shelters for unaccompanied minors for regular check-ups, tests and vaccinations.
7-Day Sample Brigade Schedule
Planning your Brigade in Greece? Check out this sample schedule outlining the typical 7-day trip your Chapter will attend.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | Airport Pick up & Transport to Lodging Facility | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day | Intro to Refugee Crisis | Clinic Day | Preparation for Health Education Workshop | Health Education Workshop | Depart for Airport | |
| 10:00am | |||||||
| 11:00am | |||||||
| 12:00pm | |||||||
| 1:00pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 2:00pm | Medical Presentation | Clinic Day | Introduction to the Holistic Model: Business Program | Clinic Day | Free Time | ||
| 3:00pm | Settle In | Athens Tour | |||||
| 4:00pm | In-Country Orientation & Introduction to Global Brigades | ||||||
| 5:00pm | Cultural Activity | Language class | Kipseli Walk: Visit to Business Clients & NGOs | Cultural Activity | |||
| 6:00pm | |||||||
| 7:00pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | |
| 8:00pm | Reflection | PA Talk | Reflection | Reflection | Reflection | Final Reflection |
| Day 1 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Airport Pick up & Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | Settle In |
| 4:00pm | In-Country Orientation & Introduction to Global Brigades |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Reflection |
| Day 2 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Medical Presentation |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Cultural Activity |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | PA Talk |
| Day 3 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Intro to the Refugee Crisis |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Clinic Day |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Language Class |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Reflection |
| Day 4 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Clinic Day |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Introduction to the Holistic Model: Business Program |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Kipseli Walk: Visit to Business Clients & NGOs |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Reflection |
| Day 5 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Preparation for Health Education Workshop |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Clinic Day |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Cultural Activity |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Reflection |
| Day 6 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Health Education Workshop |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Free Time |
| 3:00pm | Athens Tour |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Final Reflection |
| Day 7 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Depart for Airport |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | |
| 8:00pm | |
Costs and Fundraising
In order to participate in a Medical Brigade, all volunteers must meet a Donation Goal by fundraising as part of their commitment to a Brigades Chapter. This is not considered a payment for a specific trip, but support towards Global Brigades’ Holistic Model.
Donation Goals for Greece Brigades start at $3,750 USD*
Once you meet a set Donation Goal, you’re eligible to join us on the ground to see your fundraising efforts put into action by participating in a Medical Brigade.
When you participate in a Medical Brigade, your airfare ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding you raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as medications, equipment, local doctors, pharmacists, translators, and support staff.
Global Brigades’ travel team will work with your Brigade to book airfare**.
Once a volunteer meets their Donation Goal, they have up to 1 year to participate in a Medical Brigade.
*coming from outside the US? Talk to our team about donation goals.
** for UK and Canadian Chapters, airfare is not included in your Donation Goal
Donation Goals for 2023-2024 Greece 7-Day Medical Brigades
| Volunteers | Donation Goal (USD) | Donation Goal (CAD) | Donation Goal (GBP) |
| 8+ | $3,750 USD | Talk to our team about CAD donation goals. | Talk to our team about GBP donation goals. |
*Chapters with less than 8 volunteers must be paired with another chapter.
Sustainable Health Fund
A portion of each Donation Goal supports our Sustainable Health Fund, which enables year-round healthcare in partner communities carried out by our local teams. Specifically, the Fund supports initiatives of the medical program that enable sustainable transitions toward the goal of becoming an Empowered Community.
These include the Community Health Workers, Patient Referrals, Community Pharmacy, and the on-going impact evaluation of the program.
Scholarships
Scholarship opportunities are available for volunteers to meet their Donation Goal by starting or referring a new chapter. These scholarships may cover a portion or all of the Donation Goal.
Safety
Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations.
A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
Safety Highlights in Greece
- Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department.
- We have established relationships with local community authorities to gain trust and access into communities.
- Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel are on-call at all times.
- We adhere to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.
Lodging Facilities
Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets, and towels. Facilities are typical hotels with showers, toilets, and sinks with running water) as well as filtered clean drinking water.
Novus City Hotel
Brown Kubic Hotel
Brown Kubic Hotel is one of the current lodging facilities for Brigades in Greece. Global Brigades has done a safety review of this hotel. It is located right at the Center of Athens, only 10 minutes on foot from the GB Athens Clinic.
Join a Medical Brigade in Greece
Get in touch with our team to start a Medical Brigades Chapter or join an existing group traveling to Greece. Talk with our experienced staff about the impact you can make in under-resourced communities, available scholarship opportunities, and how this opportunity will connect you with other passionate students on your campus.
After filling out the form, we will be in touch to provide you with the next steps.
This DONATION is non-refundable
This DONATION is non-refundable Global Brigades, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your donation will be used to further Global Brigades' mission and will be allocated toward the program you selected. This donation will not be utilized to fulfill a chapter or a volunteer's fundraising goal. Read Global Brigades, Inc's full Donation Refund Policy here.
Looking to donate to support a volunteer's fundraising goal? Find their Global Brigades Chapter by searching our Chapters map and then selecting their upcoming brigade. If you need help finding their chapter, you can ask the volunteer to send you their brigade's specific website link or you can contact us.
By making this donation, I agree to the no-refund policy
I am cancelling my donation to support Global Brigades