Using football to tackle inequalities and poverty in Greece
Organization Earth is a Greek civil society organisation that began as a movement to raise awareness on sustainable lifestyles in urban centres. Early on, its programmes were based on the principle of connecting people to nature, with a special focus on organic urban agriculture learning for children and vulnerable groups.
In 2015, as a response to the refugee crisis, Organization Earth expanded its activities, aiming to combat discrimination and tackle inequalities in areas and populations that are hard to reach.
The inaugural project under the new mandate was Hope Refugee FC, the first football team in Greece consisting solely of migrants and refugees that sparked further initiatives and projects using the power of sports as a tool for change.
Today, Organization Earth's social inclusion initiative, "Hope Sports", is implementing numerous programmes besides the football team, and includes children, women and men. A large percentage of participants are migrants, with a growing number of projects tackle societal issues in general such as gender inequality, learning disabilities and long-term unemployment.