This Ramadan, residents of Katsikas' so called ‘hospitality centre' - a refugee camp in Northern Greece hosting roughly 1000 people of various backgrounds - will experience it from behind a wall. Katsikas has become one of the camps affected by the move to transform refugee camps in Greece into highly secure, closed facilities by way of a 3m high concrete wall, reinforced with barbed wire, security cameras, and an increase in security guards. This wall, built in the span of the last month, obscures the camp from the outside world and the outside world from the camp; inside it, many feel they are being treated as prisoners. These men, women, and children - in search of safety & security - have committed no crime. 

This comes after a year of similarly troubling developments; in the autumn of 2021, cash support was discontinued for several months, leaving people once again dependent on the distribution of pre-cooked meals and stripped of the autonomy to purchase items, and prepare food, of their own choosing. Only recently has cash assistance been resumed; however, the amount has been reduced and people have not been compensated for the several months they did not receive any assistance.

More recently - in late March - camp management destroyed, and banned the existence of, self-organised structures that had been existing in Katsikas camp for several years. This included the removal of small businesses, a self-organised kindergarten and even private gardens. The removal of small businesses has eliminated a source of income for entrepreneurs who offered a service - be it through a supermarket, a bakery, a barber shop, or a restaurant. It has also eliminated an important safety net for individuals who cannot afford to purchase items in the local Greek market: in camp shops, prices are lower than in the surrounding areas. Not only that, but shopowners in the camp are often understanding when someone does not have money in a given moment, allowing them to ‘buy’ items without having to pay up-front. In the remote setting of Katsikas camp, these shops also made it possible for individuals to get necessary items without having to make the journey to into the city - a trip which costs money, for which no free transport is provided, and which is challenging for parents who require childcare.

In this context, individual talents, interests and ambitions have no avenues to be put to use and flourish. The few support structures that are available tend to offer “help” to refugees and asylum seekers in a way that strips them of agency and dignity and perpetuates dependence on a weak system. Access to public services and spaces is being continuously reduced, and individuals are struggling to get basic supplies with the extremely limited cash support available as well as a lack of employment and education opportunities. Facing indefinite waits in a refugee camp with little to do and in the absence of clear pathways forward, many individuals experience negative repercussions on their mental health.

By engaging both the refugee community and host community in a dignified way that promotes self-reliance, self-confidence and self-development, the Habibi.Works project aims to empower individuals to unfold their full potential, regardless of their circumstances.

Who are we?
Habibi.Works is situated across the road from Katsikas refugee camp. It is an intercultural makerspace for people of all backgrounds to share and learn skills in any of 13 working areas: wood, metal, bicycle repair, 3D printing and lasercutting, sewing, art, music, plastic upcycling, sports and more. Habibi.Works welcomes individuals from all walks of life to join a community of makers, learn new skills, share their know-how, and co-create solutions to their own challenges. Each working area is open to visitors at all skill levels to enter with their own innovative ideas, and each person is accompanied by an experienced supervisor in that particular area. It is a safe space to express individual creativity and unfold each person’s full potential. (You can learn more at http://habibi.works or by following us on social media @habibiworks!).  

Besides providing free access to tools, material and expert guidance in the various working areas, Habibi.Works also offers free clothing to visitors and has organised distributions of essential hygiene items such as shampoo, soap, diapers and female hygiene products. Through natural cosmetics workshops held on a weekly basis, individuals can also make their own hygiene products: lip balm, sunscreen, healing salves. Following the stop of laundry powder distribution in the camp, we have been offering workshops for individuals to make their own laundry powder. Until the onset of Covid-19, our community kitchen provided lunch to everyone in the space each day; we look forward to re-opening the kitchen as soon as current legal restrictions allow it (hopefully as soon as May!). Until then, our community garden enables anyone to grow their own herbs and vegetables.

Habibi.Works began in 2016 and is an initiative by Soup & Socks, e.V., a German non-profit organisation that has been active in this context since 2015. Our team is made up of volunteers from around the world who come and offer their skills - as well as by members of the Katsikas community. Besides practical support on the ground, Habibi.Works promotes encounters, integration and awareness of the situation for refugees and asylum seekers in Greece. We celebrate the talents of the people affected by forced migration, setting positive counterpoints against a growing populist narrative in our societies.    

Our values

People are the experts of their lives. We don’t see people who fled their countries as helpless victims, but as talented and experienced men, women and children who can be an enrichment for our societies, if we provide the structures that allow them to integrate. This is what Habibi.Works aims to do on a small scale.

We work at eye level with people. We support them to create solutions themselves. We listen to their ideas instead of telling them what to do. We encourage them to share their abilities and expertise and to gain transferrable new skills. Habibi.Works is a living example of the values we would like to see in our societies: respect, solidarity and equality. 

The way decisions are made in Habibi.Works mirrors this approach. Decisions are taken through team discussions and by consensus, from the ground up, with special consideration for feedback from users of the space as well as team members from the community. No matter how long someone has been a part of the team, everyone has an opportunity to bring ideas forward, give feedback or suggest improvements.

Our impact

In Habibi.Works, individuals can design and create solutions to their own needs. This may mean making shelves - to create storage space for use in small living containers - in the wood workshop, or repairing a bicycle - an essential means of transport in a rural context - in the bicycle repair workshop.  It may look like making clothing repairs and alterations, or even creating an entirely new article of clothing, in the sewing atelier, or getting a haircut in the barber shop/beauty salon. Whether it's making a CV in the MediaLab, creating jewellery in the creative atelier or expressing oneself in the music studio - this is a space where anyone can enter with an idea or need and leave equipped with a new essential item, a new skill, and the boost of self-confidence that comes with making something yourself.  

Many have called the situation in Greece a “refugee crisis.” In fact, it is a crisis of humanity, a crisis of compassion, and a human rights crisis. 

There are currently over 170,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Greece. Change is necessary on a large scale; however, this change can be catalysed through small actions, such as simply treating individuals with dignity and respect, and creating opportunities which empower rather than restrict. This is what Habibi.Works aims to do. Over the past 6 years, this space has been proof that together, people can make meaningful change happen. Your support will allow talented, hard-working people who are making an effort to build a new life, to unfold their full potential.

Your Impact

A financial contribution to this initiative will enable us to continue keeping Habibi.Works’ doors open and ensure that every person gets an opportunity to express themselves and be agents of their own solutions. The often-used expression is true: every little bit counts!

If you are not in a position to financially support the project, spreading the word also makes a huge impact! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or via our website to stay up to date on the situation here in Katsikas and share this in your networks.