SOS Summer Camp/ Summer Camp for the SOS Children in Crete

Since 2005 Crete For Life’s main program has been to provide a restorative summer camp by the Cretan Sea for children growing up in disadvantaged conditions. Throughout the years, we have hosted children and youths coming from areas of Belarus which were affected by the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, from countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine among others. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decided to focus only on children already living on the island of Crete. We were therefore very happy to host the camp at the Heraklion village of the Παιδικό Χωριό SOS Κρήτης in Ierapetra.

The mission of our partners and friends at the SOS Village’s is to support children that can no longer live with their families, working to prevent family breakdown and ensuring that children’s rights are met, providing children with loving and supportive alternative care. 

The children hosted at the SOS Summer Camp, aged from 3 to 12 years, were entertained for a few days of fun activities and swimming, together with their foster mothers and guardians. The SOS summer camp provided a welcome break for children who have known abusive/neglectful environments and must cope with conflicting strong emotions, such as sadness, anger and trust issues, right at the beginning of their lives. 

Here are a few words from the foster mothers that came to the summer break: “Words are little to describe the hospitality, the warmth, the big hug of our friends from Crete For Life. Sweet and sincere smiles from new and old friends. Days full in the beautiful Ierapetra in a week of wonderful holidays that filled the souls of the children and all of us collaborators of the SOS Children’s Village of Crete, with rich emotions and images, you made us feel at home. Crete For Life ΕΧΑΡΙΣΤΟΎΜΕ. Your friends from the SOS Children’s Village of Crete !!!!”