In 2013, the Bodossaki Foundation assumed the management of the EEA Grants Greek NGO funding programme ‘We are all citizens’. The aims of the programme were to reduce economic and social inequalities and strengthen Greek civil society.
Thanks to funding of €7.34 million contributed by the programme’s donor countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway), a total of 75 projects were implemented in several regions throughout Greece by 65 project promoters and 43 project partners.
The programme has benefitted more than 205,000 individuals, mainly from socially vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, those at risk of poverty and social exclusion, the unemployed, and victims of hate crimes, domestic violence and human trafficking. As the support of children and young people was a programme priority, €2.9 million was allocated for relevant projects.
During the implementation phase of the programme, particular emphasis was given to reducing social inequality, poverty and social exclusion, defending human rights including the rights of minorities, building the capacity of NGOs and promoting democracy, transparency and sound governance.
During the programme, the development of bilateral relations between Greek NGOs and organizations in the donor countries was also encouraged, resulting in an exchange of know-how and best practices and the emergence of new partnerships.
As part of the ‘We are all Citizens’ programme‘’, a separate stream of work was designed and implemented, consisting of training seminars and activities aimed at identifying needs and consolidating NGO capabilities. Participation in these activities was open to all of the organisations receiving funding under the programme. This integrated programme set new standards for NGO capacity-building in Greece and inspired the Bodossaki Foundation to create the Social Dynamo initiative in order to realise the Foundation’s vision of a healthy Civil Society which acts, influences and gets involved.
You can learn about the ‘We are all Citizens’ programme through the documentary that has been made about it and is now freely available here, as it continues its online journey under the slogan ‘Many Stories, one message: We are all Citizens!’
‘We are all Citizens’: the documentary
‘We are all Citizens’ is a documentary film focusing on the role played by an increasingly dynamic Greek civil society, which is providing an answer to the prolonged crisis of the recent years. The film presents the work of civil society organisations from the viewpoint of engaged citizens – the unsung heroes who achieve small miracles every day. Drawing on the personal stories of people from socially vulnerable groups, such as those with cerebral palsy, Roma school students, blind children and adolescents, child refugees arriving in Greece unaccompanied, and people suffering from mental illness, the film is a lasting legacy of the contribution of EEA Grants to the empowerment of civil society in Greece.
Work on the film began in December 2015, bringing together images and sounds from Athens, Lesvos, Drosero in Xanthi and Oslo in Norway. Sounds, images, dialogues and thoughts are merged into a whole and today the film can be seen free of charge, as it continues its online journey under the slogan ‘Many stories, one message: We are all Citizens!’
Click here to watch the film on our YouTube channel (with English subtitles).