Volunteer To Aid Refugees In Greece
Volunteering To Aid Refugees In Greece
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When we left our home in Turkey in 2016 we couldn’t have imagined it would be nearly six years before we would return. Events both personal and global conspired to keep us away far longer than we could have imagined.
Lacking an onward ticket from Thailand and with a Turkish entry stamp dated five years previously, well beyond our visa expiration, our outward journey from Istanbul to Bangkok was more troublesome than usual, but nothing compared to that of people fleeing war zones around the world.
At the sort of airport office where those with far weaker passports than us – despite Brexit – are frequently called to explain themselves, we convinced emigration our residence permits were why we hadn’t overstayed in Turkey.
We then encountered problems with Thailand’s insistence on travellers holding an onward ticket, but blagged our way onto a scheduled air route by looking pitiful and promising we’d get one during our layover in Delhi.
All in all, it was a nuisance but at no point did we have to risk our lives and we can expect our home to be still standing when we finally get back. The six years away were spent either in hotel rooms or with family and we took our job and source of income with us.
As usual, we witnessed someone get shouted at by Thai immigration but departed the airport in an hour or two, free to go where we pleased and stay as long as we liked, as long as we didn’t take the piss, through a combination of visa extensions, border runs to Myanmar and visa runs to Laos.
Some of the people who left their own homes in entirely different circumstances to us depart for Europe via some of the quieter beaches in and around our town in Turkey. They risk their lives in a small boat and end up largely confined to refugee camps on Greek islands.
Survival help to refugees and other vulnerable groups is given by the organisations listed below, who are in turn helped by generous volunteers. Obviously and reasonably, any donations received by these NGOs are spent on helping refugees so all the costs related to living expenses, transport, and accommodation are usually borne by volunteers. Discounted housing may sometimes be available or help is often given with finding somewhere to live nearby.
NGOs Helping Refugees in Greece
* English teachers able to commit for eight weeks are required by Samos Volunteers. Your activities probably won’t just be teaching so an open mind and a flexible approach to work are essential. A teaching qualification is not required but would be great should you have one.
* Founded by Alaeddin Janid, himself a refugee from Syria, Happy Caravan was born as a street school in 2017, growing to serve hundreds of children each day with the support of a thriving network of volunteers across the world. They teach English, maths and art to vulnerable refugee children with little or no access to education.
* Starfish began in 2014 as a collection of local individuals and international volunteers working together to support refugees arriving in Molyvos, Lesvos Island, with a warm welcome, food, water, dry clothes, shelter, information and access to medical support. Volunteers can help fill a variety of positions for a minimum of three months.
* Current volunteer vacancies with Second Tree, a community led, volunteer run, grassroots NGO that supports refugees across Northern Greece, include qualified teachers, general volunteers, youth programme volunteers and coordinators. Remote volunteers are required for some roles.
* Volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds including architects, engineers, civil servants, teachers, economists, lawyers, sports instructors, yoga, dance and theatre teachers, artists, musicians, photographers, medical students and doctors, and construction workers have had their skills put to good use in the Eleonas Refugee Camp in Athens by Project Elea.
* More than 8,000 field workers from 70 countries have contributed to Dråpen i Havet’s activities since 2015. Present in Samos, Lesvos, Athens and northern Greece, they also operate in Bosnia and are in the early days of establishing themselves in Poland to help refugees fleeing Ukraine. Coordinators are also needed.
* METAdrasi relies on the valuable support of committed volunteers in a number of activities, including teaching Greek and foreign language courses, and providing sports, dancing, and computer lessons, the safe escorting of unaccompanied minors, and administrative support.
Images courtesy jtstewart
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