Refugee stories: The children finding hope in gardening and cooking

The HOME Project is a non-profit organisation set up to address the needs of refugee and child migrants, who arrive in Greece alone. They move the children to one of their 11 homes, offering them safety, education and help with social integration.

Since early 2017, the project has accommodated more than 285 children.

As a business, we have long been committed to making a positive impact in the societies in which we operate. So, Unilever Greece immediately joined hands with the HOME Project to launch a programme that teaches health and nutrition habits, and employability skills.

We help these children create vegetable gardens - called Knorr Green Spaces - in the homes and bring in experts to teach them about plant care and sustainability. These experts also monitor progress and help plant new vegetables.

That said, some residents have been challenging the choices on offer. As one boy explains: 'I tasted broccoli from our garden. I had never eaten broccoli before. And I didn't like it. I was told though, that we will plant different vegetables for the summer, and I am eager to taste them.'

All children - with an emphasis on those nearing adulthood - are trained on the gardening and agricultural skills required to plant and maintain seasonal vegetable gardens.

They also get cooking lessons with a Unilever Food Solutions chef - with a generous serving of Knorr and Hellmann's products - encouraging them to adopt healthy eating habits and cut food waste.

The hope is that, as well as being good for their wellbeing in the short term, these skills and knowledge will come in handy for potential job opportunities.