Makerspace Lesvos
Camps for refugees are one of some of the worst places in the world. Some people live there for years under precarious conditions without any prospects. The goal of Makerspace Lesvos is to make life a little easier for the people by providing simple support. The people behind this small organization, many of them themselves refugees living in the camp, help repair and exchange phones, bicycles and clothes. They also teach each other how to make repairs in workshops. This solves problems - and provides small joys. The space allows people to share their technical skills, continue to develop them, and learn new ones. Being a valuable part of a team often restores the refugees' confidence. They reclaim some of the respect and dignity that is often lost through the systematic disempowerment and repression of humanity in the camps.
Healthbridge Medical Organization
Healthbridge Medical has spent the last year filling gaps in care on the ground in Lesvos - whether it's providing medical care during emergency shifts, offering medical translation services at multiple locations, or managing complex medical cases. Healthbridge Medical has tried to find ways how to complement the work of other NGOs that also provide medical care. With over two dozen refugees working on their team, it gives them a unique perspective on the needs of people on the move. Rather than telling refugees what they need to do to feel better, they do their best to connect them to the very resources that make things better. This may include connecting them to existing resources or meeting medical needs that are otherwise unavailable, such as MRIs, CT scans, and complex blood tests. As the situation changes and new barriers arise, they want to continue to try to make this part of the journey as humane as possible.
LeaveNoOneBehind Soforthilfe
As part of the emergency relief, team members from our #LeaveNoOneBehind team on the ground in Lesvos went shopping together with the people from the new Moria camp in order to meet individual essential needs of the people in the camp while bringing maximum self-determination and dignity to the people. Together we bought a variety of goods in the form of food, hygiene products, electric heaters, blankets, clothing and the like for and with the camp residents.
The Shower Box
We operate a Community Center on Lesvos, with 40 hot water showers, consisting of four containers with ten showers each. Also, there is a container with toilets. In addition to providing urgently needed shower and washing facilities in general, the project also serves to treat itch mites, which are currently spreading in the camp on Lesvos. It is also an important contribution to protecting the privacy of the people in the camp.
Wave of Hope for the Future
Wave of Hope for the Future is a network of self-organized schools - by refugees for refugees. The initiative was started by refugees in Moria camp on Lesvos and quickly expanded to other camps in Greece. In early 2019, Zekria Farzad began offering classes for children in the "olive grove" around Camp Moria. His only tool: a whiteboard on a bench. The initiative was quickly joined by other refugees. The initiative was quickly joined by other people on the move. Together, they began to build a network of schools that today offer classes in Art, English, Greek, Physical Education and other subjects to more than 4,000 students, and are even helping to rebuild a school in Afghanistan. The Wave of Hope School is an impressive example of refugees organizing themselves in the various camps and contributing to the enrichment of a diverse society.
Kitrinos Healthcare
Kitrinos Healthcare is a medical NGO that has provided care for people fleeing the burned-down Moria camp on Lesvos. Kitrinos has been working in Greece since 2015, and has had a clinic in Moria since 2018, where especially patients with chronic diseases are cared for. In addition, Kitrinos is responsible for providing medical care to a large group of mothers and children at UNICEF Tapuat School, which has been converted into an emergency shelter since the fire. The organization lost much of its equipment and supplies in the Moria fire, though the medical needs of many refugees have grown. Kintrinos also purchased the washers and dryers, which are now being operated at the LNOB Community Center and are part of the anti-itch mite program for the camp in Lesvos.
LNOB Warehouse Lesbos
The #LeaveNoOneBehind Warehouse is located less than a five-minute walk from the Kara Tepe camp and serves as a logistics center for all sorts of donations in kind. Through campaigns such as "Tour d'Amour" and "#10.000Schuhe", donations in kind could be collected and sorted in cooperation with other NGOs in Germany in order to deliver them to the camp residents on site in Lesvos. At the same time, the donations in kind could also be redistributed to other regions such as Chios, Samos, Athens and Thessaloniki, or even as far as Bosnia and Calais in northern France. In addition, the building serves as an event center for various happenings such as the exhibition "#RememberMoria", "The Boat Theater Group" or for discussion rounds with political delegations.
Exhibition Remember Moria
Our LNOB warehouse on Lesvos was transformed into an event center for the #RememberMoria exhibition. The exhibition was meant to commemorate the night when Camp Moria burned down completely and more than 14,000 people lost their last belongings and were forced onto the streets where they had to hold out for more than 14 days without sanitation or medical care. We wanted to remember a place that was called "the shame of Europe".
School of Peace
The international School of Peace for children and adults on Lesvos offers the people in the camp the opportunity to take English courses and other school subjects. In addition, the School of Peace offers its younger students a special curriculum for adolescents, where they have the opportunity to learn everyday skills and abilities. The goal is to develop the students' self-confidence, academic performance and social skills. They are taught by teachers who are also refugees living in the camp. The school also promotes their experience, creativity and demonstrates self-confidence within the community. This serves as the main goal of the School of Peace: to strengthen people's self-confidence and assertiveness, to inspire them and to help them shape their lives in a positive way. Since the beginning in 2017, over 5000 students have attended courses of the School of Peace.
Food Packages – Siniparxi
The distribution of urgently needed food packages is handled by the Greek organization Siniparxi. The packages contain 12 to 14 different items that enable camp residents and people in need on Lesvos to cook their own meals. Each week, 600 to 800 people have access to the food packages and are offered an alternative to the inedible camp food.