Bashira
Centre
Lesvos
A retreat for vulnerable displaced women and mothers.
SAO Association's Bashira Centre is located in Mytilene, the capital of Lesvos. It is a daycentre for particularly vulnerable, often traumatized, displaced women. It focuses on emergency assistance and orientation for those who are forced to live in the camp on Lesvos or are housed in flats in Mytilene.
Only women have access to the Bashira Centre. There they find a safe retreat, and a hearing for their specific concerns. Our permanent staff of social workers, psychologists, and translators are available for their questions and concerns. The Bashira Centre is a pleasant oasis of peace and orientation for displaced women. They can shower in a clean, lockable bathroom, drink tea together in our rooms, relax, exchange experiences, do handicrafts and mending work, and participate in various workshops. Our volunteers from all over the world contribute to the well-rounded operation.
We offer access to medical, social, and asylum services, all in cooperation with partner organisations.
The Bashira Centre is one of the few places on Lesvos dedicated explicitly to displaced women only.
A Tour through the Bashira Centre
Our staff at the Bashira Centre work in cooperation with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (OXFAM), Greek Refugee Council, and various locally operating grassroots organisations.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has supported the Bashira emergency programme.
