In a significant step forward, DiH has launched a comprehensive approach to laundry services within the Closed Controlled Access Centres (CCACs) on the Aegean Islands. Supported by the EEA Grants and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, this initiative marks a first-of-its-kind effort to align everyday operations with best practices in the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) sector.
The newly developed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) lays out not just how to wash clothes, but why doing so matters deeply. For medically vulnerable individuals, pregnant women, newborns, unaccompanied minors, and persons with disabilities, access to safe, high-temperature laundry can reduce infection risks, ease physical burdens, and restore a sense of dignity. It’s a service that supports recovery, encourages mental wellbeing, and affirms the value of every person.
Informed by global standards and lessons from the field, this SOP provides detailed protocols on prioritisation, equipment needs, scabies treatment integration, and community engagement. It also sets a new bar for environmental responsibility, with measures for greywater disposal and the use of eco-friendly detergents.
The collaboration between DiH, the EEA, and the Ministry demonstrates what is possible when humanitarian values meet structured implementation. This is more than a technical achievement, it is a commitment to upholding human dignity through thoughtful, inclusive WASH programming.
We are deeply grateful to our partners at the EEA Grants for making this possible. This initiative is only the beginning.