Sappho Women – Non-Profit (AMKE)

Connecting women in the heart of Skala Eressos.

Sappho Women is a grassroots non-profit based on Lesvos Island, Greece. We create welcoming spaces where women meet, share experiences, and take part in community-led activity that brings local and international women together through cultural exchange.

About us

Rooted in Skala Eressos, Lesvos – the historic birthplace of the poet Sappho – Sappho Women is a non-profit organisation established in 2010.

Women had already been travelling to Skala Eressos for many years when, in 2000, the local travel business Sappho Travel initiated the first International Eressos Women’s Festival. The festival was developed and operated within the travel business for the following decade.

As the scale, cost, and responsibility of the festival grew, it became clear that a separate structure was needed to carry the work forward. Sappho Women was formed to take on that role.

Today, Sappho Women is based in Skala Eressos year-round and is responsible for the organisation, delivery, and sustainability of the International Eressos Women’s Festival, alongside other project-based and collaborative work connected to the village and its wider women’s community.

Our Areas Of Work

Sappho Women’s work centres on the International Eressos Women’s Festival. This is where most of our time, attention, and organisational capacity currently sit.

From this core work, other activity takes shape when it is relevant, supported, and manageable.

All work we undertake is grounded in our presence in Skala Eressos and shaped by what can realistically be carried over time.

Decisions around expansion or new initiatives are made carefully and remain subject to our administrative and financial capacity.

International Eressos Women's Festival

The International Eressos Women’s Festival is our main programme and the work we are best known for. It takes place each September and is developed through year-round planning, coordination, and hands-on work in Skala Eressos.

Projects and Funded Initiatives

Alongside the festival, we undertake funded projects that respond to specific needs or opportunities. These initiatives are developed through partnerships, integrated into our existing practice, and conclude once their objectives are met. Not all projects become permanent programmes.

Visibility, Networks and Participation

We participate in regional and international networks related to women’s work and culture when it is relevant and feasible to do so. These collaborations support exchange, connection, and learning, while keeping our work firmly rooted in Skala Eressos.

Our Work

Support Our Work

Help sustain our community activities and ensure they remain accessible for women.

Partner With Us

Support participation and inclusion through collaboration and in-kind support.

Get Involved

Connect with our community and stay informed about our activities and initiatives.

How Women Take Part

There is no single way to be involved with Sappho Women, and no expectation that involvement looks the same over time.

Some women take part while they are in Skala Eressos. Others return regularly, or stay connected from elsewhere. Participation shifts depending on availability, capacity, and circumstance — and that is both expected and respected.

Women engage through events, projects, and activities connected to our work. This includes the festival, funded initiatives, and occasional project-based collaboration. Not all involvement is public or visible.

Some women contribute skills or practical support. Others help with organisation during busy periods. Many simply attend and take part. All of these forms of participation are valid.

Volunteers play an important role, particularly during the festival. Roles change from year to year, shaped by what is needed and what people are able to offer at the time.

Being involved does not require a long-term commitment.

It usually begins with interest, timing, and proximity — being here, or finding your way into the work when it makes sense.