Eurorelief

Our Info Point is quite similar to the “guest services” of camp. It’s where we field many residents’ questions, and it’s where we hopefully meet some of the mundane dailyness with compassion. If there’s any place inside camp where you want to be heard without a huge line-up, it’s our info point. We’re open from Monday-Friday, and we try our best to understand and refer and point people in the right direction. We work alongside some of the best volunteer translators to understand residents’ needs and answer questions. A lot of the time it feels like we’re the bridge between a lot of the teams here. When someone has an appointment with Social Care, they often come to Info. When kids don’t know where their classes are, Info. When someone missed a previous Distribution, Info. When someone would like our maintenance team to look at something, Info. After a new arrival first arrives into the main part of camp, they come to be registered with us for our services. Our volunteers listen to people’s stories, and advocate on their behalf to our Info Point office team to get them connected to the right services inside or outside camp. It’s an honour to assist the residents in the best way we can.

A day in the life of a Samos volunteer begins just after 8:00 where we gather as a team and then drive to camp together. We go through CCAC security protocols, connect with the Greek staff then head to our offices for a short morning devotion, then a briefing with rules and guidelines for everyone to be reminded of. Once everyone is aware of their role for the day: sports, women’s space, sewing, library, free shop, hospital rides, or the warehouse, some of the new volunteers will receive a further training about safeguarding and trauma and other important things to be aware of. We will each spend the next hours connecting with residents until we take a small lunch break to gather together again at our offices. Once our day wraps up around 16:00, we debrief our days together, sharing the hard and special moments, and how we can be thinking of the residents we worked with that day. “It is beautiful to watch our team go out every morning and add some colour and vibrance to camp, and to embrace all the people they will meet that day,” shares Finja, one of our shiftleaders.

With our library on Lesvos tucked away in the corner near the water, many residents don’t hear about all the books that are available to them. On certain slower days, we take books out to the Blue Zone with some activities and games and some sports things, to tell the children and families about the library. We try to take some time to look through the books with the children and do some activities together with them. “We’re always trying to find new ways to engage with little and adult readers. With so much spare time for the residents, boredom can be the perfect avenue to dive into language learning, or a new fictional world,” shares Sarah Grace, our Educational Activities Coordinator.

Our sewing container on Samos has been very popular since its opening. We are now open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for people to mend their clothes, or to have our resident volunteers help with a project. “We get interesting requests like making a skirt out of a shirt, but our resident volunteers are just that creative to make it happen,” shares Margriet, our site coordinator. We’ve had a number of men coming in to have their clothes mended this week, so we’ve tried to teach one of our male volunteers to help mend clothes. “It was my first time ever sewing, and the resident volunteers were teaching me how to do it. It’s beautiful to see how the resident volunteers can use their talents and they truly love teaching us how to sew, instead of us always helping them. A new tailor joined the team this week and she was so happy to be there, and wanted to work every single day and night to help others,” shares Jaap, our volunteer. We’re very grateful to help in this capacity.

Meet Fatima, a resilient mother who recently arrived in camp to seek safety and a fresh start for her family. One morning, she visited the Free Hygiene Shop and was warmly welcomed by our volunteers. Fatima carefully selected toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and sanitary pads for herself and her daughters. Holding these simple items, she shared how she felt a surge of gratitude and a renewed sense of dignity. “Being able to care for ourselves again gives us hope and reminds us of who we are,” she told our volunteers. Access to these essentials not only helps prevent health issues, but also restores a sense of normalcy in their daily lives. Fatima was deeply thankful for the support provided by the Free Hygiene Shop in camp, and we are privileged to receive these items from generous donors to distribute in camp.

Can you imagine what it’s like to be on the run with children? Or to flee with a child that is disabled? In “To The Other Side,” written by previous Eurorelief volunteers, you can read the story of Abdikarem, Sabah, Abdimued and Abdimalik, told by their 34-year old father, a smart, loving, and patient man. They left their homeland of Somalia because of the lack of medical care, discrimination and the continuous threat of the radical group Al-Shabaab. “Try to imagine: you are hiding in the forest and your beloved 7-year old autistic son does not understand what is happening. In the days prior, you had to drag him from a taxi, to a bus, and into the forest. You cannot give him enough food, there is barely any water and you have to make him be quiet all the time. He is not able to talk, but makes you know what he wants by grunting and pointing. You do everything you can to make him stay silent, because the police cannot find you. Meanwhile, he looks at you with the question in his eyes: “Papa, what are we doing?” This is part of the Shide family’s story. You can find the full story along with 62 other stories, with pictures, in the book. The book highlights where the camp residents have come from, the conditions in their home countries, their background, how it was to travel and reach Lesvos, and to think about their future, and what they are longing for and heading towards. You can purchase the book at https://lnkd.in/gfy3t_S4

Our Adult Education courses on Lesvos are held from Monday through Thursday, and span over 4 levels—starting at absolute beginners through to an A1/A2 level. “Humour is an important element in our classroom. We enjoy comparing vocabulary words across languages—similarities always generate smiles. Today we looked at at the word, “bean,” and although it is not very similar to the Arabic word “fasulya,” we found simalarities instead with the the Greek word “fasóli,” and the students really enjoyed that. Teaching here really is my dream job. My students laugh when I tell them this, but watching pre-literate students who have never had the chance to attend school, begin to sound out and write their first words is an amazing privilege,” shares Hannah, a teacher from Canada.

This week Eurorelief Samos was privileged to bring in a large shipment of diapers to the camp hygiene office. “We are so happy that our friends in the hygiene office can resume the distribution. Each mother can get 100 diapers for their child every month, in any size ranging from 2-6. Along with the diapers, they get a pack of wet wipes. A huge thank you to GAiN Switzerland and Stichting Christian Refugee Relief (CRR) for making this donation a reality,” shares Nick, our Logistics and Distributions Operations Officer.

Education has been going through lots of changes this summer, but we are trying to be as flexible as possible, and still consistent and stable for the children. At this moment, this means trying to go make a summer school schedule in partnership with the Ministry and other actors in the camp. “The children come for the day and go from class to class, some classes run by Eurorelief, and others by other actors. On Fridays, the children go to computer class, followed by our music class. We’ve just tried it for two weeks now and it’s gone very well, teaching basic level songs by the Beatles or other artists—Lean on Me, Hello Goodbye—and also some basic rhythms. It is a very fun way to spend a Friday afternoon,” shares our Field Coordinator, Rob, who finds time to teach the music class with kids on Fridays.

With the extreme heat, residents are looking for things to fill their day out of the intense sun on Samos. Our activities and resources try to help them do this. “The days have grown longer, the work just a bit harder, but the love remains the same. Our team has said many goodbyes for volunteers, resident volunteers, and residents. Though some of these goodbyes are toned with a bittersweetness, we remain so thankful to know that our small community has made a brief appearance in the journey of those around us,” shares Jolie, one of our shift leaders. Having visuals like this one created by our volunteer Joy, (Instagram: https://lnkd.in/gMYZn_px), helps residents and volunteers practically explain some of the work and the feelings behind to the work to others.