ATHENS, Greece, March 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- New donation will help the HOME Project bring more children to safety in its eleventh shelter  

- Existing shelters currently house 200+ children and have created over 120 jobs 

- 11,050 unaccompanied minors have been officially registered in Greece since the beginning of 2016 

The HOME Project, the international humanitarian non-profit organization (www.homeproject.org) which houses and employs refugee children and youth stranded in Greece during the current crisis, has received a generous donation from The Shapiro Foundation (www.theshapirofoundation.org). This valuable contribution to the HOME Project's work will fund a new shelter in Athens for 20 more children and create a further 11 jobs.

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/651147/Shapiro_HOME_Project.jpg )

The Shapiro Foundation, launched in 2001, has a mission to serve the world's most vulnerable population of over 66,000,000 refugees, internally displaced people, and asylum-seekers. Through meaningful partnerships across five continents, it is trying to ameliorate suffering in extreme situations and actively pilot creative resettlement opportunities. Based in Boston, it is the philanthropic foundation of the Shapiro family, headed by Ed and Barbara Shapiro.

"We are deeply grateful to the Shapiro family for their generosity through this Foundation donation," said Sofia Kouvelaki, Executive Director of the HOME Project. "Funding a new shelter makes a huge difference to the lives of children stranded in Greece, ensuring their safety and wellbeing. We welcome them as a partner in our mission to prevent further suffering and to provide stability through this humanitarian crisis."

Ed Shapiro, Trustee for The Shapiro Foundation, added: "It is our honor to support the critical work the HOME Project is doing for refugee children, which are among the most vulnerable populations in the world. This past summer, I saw first-hand the HOME Project's work and appreciate the opportunity to help them continue their mission of providing shelter to the growing number of refugee children in Greece."

The new shelter will be the HOME Project's eleventh building. Last year it received a €1 million donation from the IKEA Foundation to fund and open new shelters, building on the initial support from its founding sponsor, the Libra Group. The ten dedicated shelters already in existence establish a structure of care and support where none existed before and bring lone refugee children to safety. The HOME Project provides on-the-ground intervention for refugees enduring harsh conditions in camps and at processing points throughout Greece, meeting real human need with specialist support, funding, and private-sector partnerships.

Already caring for over 200 children in secure environments, and now creating over 130 jobs, the HOME Project ethos of support, protection, education, and social integration services has never been more vital.

More than 2,300 unaccompanied minors are currently homeless in Greece, in real danger, at risk of violence, sexual abuse, exploitation, and organ trafficking.

The HOME Project is actively seeking donations and support to help combat this refugee crisis which is the largest humanitarian disaster since the Second World War. More than 1 million refugees have arrived in Greece since the start of 2015 who are in desperate need of aid and shelter, the majority coming from three countries: Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Targeted intervention in camps covers a number of basic needs, from milk for babies through to medical, educational, legal and language support.

All donations to the HOME Project go directly to refugees, helping them to be safe, fed, clothed, sheltered, and integrated into society. The HOME Project continues to seek and enlist all forms of donation, assistance, and giving-in-kind to benefit the cause and have a direct impact on the lives of refugees.

About The HOME Project 

Standing for 'Help, Overcome, Motivate, and Empower', the HOME Project's mission is threefold. First, to bring unaccompanied minors to safety in dedicated shelters where they will be clothed, fed, and supported. Second, to source, refurbish, and convert unused buildings throughout Greece into shelters, bringing them back to life and into good use. Third, through the conversion, refurbishment, and ongoing operation of these shelters it is creating employment, including for refugees - 130 new jobs were created in its first year of operation. At the moment, the HOME Project is housing 200 children in ten homes and creating more than 130 jobs. The founding sponsor of the HOME Project is the Libra Group, a privately owned international business.

www.homeproject.org

About The Shapiro Foundation 

The Shapiro Foundation, founded by Barbara and Ed Shapiro in 2001, is focused on improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations. The foundation's primary focus is on children, refugees, and immigrants, as well as education, global health, and humanitarian aid.  Support is provided for organizations in Boston and throughout the US, as well as Israel, Greece, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Liberia.

www.theshapirofoundation.org

SOURCE The HOME Project