Lighthouse Relief

Who We Are — A Vision Through the Years

More than 850,000 refugees and asylum seekers arrived in Greece by sea. At a time when no organized NGO response were present, volunteers from around the world came together to found Lighthouse Relief as an emergency response alongside residents of Skala Sikamineas.

LHR offered warmth, food, medical care, and rest alongside training 24/7 spotting teams to monitor Greek waters for incoming boats.

LHR also launched ECO Relief for a large-scale clean-up on Lesvos’ shores helping to restore the environment and support local communities.

The closure of the Balkan route and the EU-Turkey Statement left nearly 50,000 refugees prompting LHR to provide support at the border in Idomeni.

As a result, operations at Lighthouse Relief were amplified and adapted to provide relief for these most vulnerable on mainland Greece. We worked mostly at EKO station in the Idomeni area, which was home to over 3,000 refugees, most of them families.

Recognizing a need for sustained support, we expanded to Katsikas, Filippiada, and Ritsona camps on the mainland.

After opening our Female and Child Friendly Spaces, Lighthouse Relief facilitated the Tree of Hope mural. This was the first youth-led creative project inside the camp and a symbol of resilience within the stark camp environment which led to the creation of our Youth Engagement Space.

Our non-formal education and recreation programmes grew with the implementation of English workshops, the youth-led Ritsona Kingdom Journal, and a UEFA-licensed football initiative—placing community voices and needs at the center of our programmes.

In March 2018, our team launched the first phase of our Resident Volunteer programme, designed to encourage leadership and self-determination for people seeking safety.

A formalised version of our sports programme was later established in August 2020 in order to increase the number of RVs and offer them structured training to help them develop skills they can use in building their new lives after leaving the camp.

Summer 2019 saw the highest number of arrivals to Greece since 2015, nearly half were children under 18, many travelling alone. Volunteers wor

To celebrate 11 years of Lighthouse Relief, we’re hosting a basketball tournament!

On September 23, we’re bringing together refugee participants, the local Corinth community, volunteers, and partner organizations for an evening of basketball, connection, and community.

Whether you’re a seasoned player or just want to join in, all skill levels are welcome. Come play, cheer, and celebrate 11 years of LHR with us!

Date: September 23
Time: 17:30
Location: Corinth, Open Air Basketball Court

We hope to see you on the court!

Building a Lighthouse community across Greece, one week at a time. 🇬🇷✨

Swipe through to discover:
🗓️ Weekly Schedule – Daily programming, support, and sessions

📍 Locations – Where our teams operate across Greece

💛 How to Support – Funding our monthly programming

Consistency creates change. Thank you to everyone making every week count. 💛💙

Our August recap is here. 💙💛

While the peak summer heat in Greece often brings a seasonal slowdown, our team remained hard at work delivering another impactful month of programming.

Sharing our monthly results and highlights with you is always a privilege. As daily routines resume across Greece this September, we are excited to relaunch our regular football sessions and distribution drives.

None of this would be possible without the dedicated support of our online Lighthouse community. Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission!!

We are looking for a new Social Media Intern and Fundraising Intern to join the LHR Team!

These are volunteer-based roles for people interested in using their skills to support refugees and asylum seekers in Greece and help strengthen the long-term impact of our work.

As our Social Media Intern, you’ll work closely with our Head of Communications, visiting field activities 1–2 times per week to capture photo and video content and turn it into engaging Reels, TikToks, and social media posts. You’ll also help manage our social channels, engage with our audience, and raise awareness of our work.

As our Fundraising Intern, you’ll support our Communications and Fundraising team by researching funding opportunities, contributing to grant proposals and applications, supporting donor outreach, and helping develop sustainable partnerships.

Social Media Intern
→ Based in Athens / Attica
→ Part-time with flexible hours
→ Minimum 3-month commitment
→ Transportation expenses for field visits covered

Fundraising Intern
→ Remote
→ Part-time/full-time with flexible hours
→ Minimum 3-month commitment
→ Previous fundraising experience required

Learn more about both positions here: lighthouserelief.org/work-with-us
To apply, please send your application to [email protected]

This and acknowledging universal human rights.

Our own spin on the “This and…” trend, highlighting a few of the things that shouldn’t feel like too much to ask: human rights for all, safe passage, fair systems of justice, and sustainable funding for the organizations working to make a difference.

At Lighthouse Relief we believe in creating spaces where people are supported, treated with dignity, and given the opportunity to move forward.

Because some things should be universal.