Supported projects
#LeaveNoOneBehind offers a platform for local and solidarity projects – fast support guaranteed. Thanks to your donations, we have been able to support over 100 partner organizations in their important work since 2020. The projects are often actively run by refugees themselves or the organizations actively support those seeking protection in solidarity.
On this page you can find all the initiatives and organizations that have been supported so far.
All projects
BASE UA
BASE UA was founded by activists and journalists in the wake of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and focuses primarily on evacuation from the most heavily embattled areas of the country. BASE UA is one of the last organizations to bring people threatened by the Russian invasion to safety from Bachmut, Lysychansk or Severodonetsk. But BASE's work does not stop at evacuation: People should receive sustainable support. Among other things, two camps were organized with children and young people who had to flee the war. There they received art and trauma work.
Aegean Boat Report
Illegal pushbacks are a daily occurrence at European borders. In order to take action against them, they need to be well documented and collated. The Aegean Boat Report reports 24/7 about incidents at the borders and thus enables quick help and monitoring of "border officials''. One practice the Aegean Boat Report has been able to highlight many times: Refugees who had already reached the bottom of Lesbos are picked up by masked men, often abused, kidnapped and abandoned in the open sea on maneuverless "life rafts." There they drift until the Turkish coast guard picks them up and brings them back to Turkey. Documenting them and gathering the information is critical. Because good information not only ensures that helpers can be on the scene faster in emergencies, good information is also the best weapon against cover-up attempts by governments and their coast guards. The Aegean Boat Report has thus become an essential building block in the work of NGOs in the Aegean. Through its work, emergencies are noticed more quickly and people are rescued.
Blindspots
Blindspots helps wherever people are forgotten by the media, politics and the public. They bring the "invisible spots" of Europe into the focus of social discourse and strengthen existing aid structures. On the Bosnian-Croatian border, in the Velika Kladuša region, refugees are stuck in patched-up improvised shelters, where they are exposed and unprotected from the wind and weather. This means life-threatening cold in winter, with temperatures as low as -20 degrees. In addition, they are often robbed, beaten up and illegally pushed back by border officials. Blindspots therefore organizes stoves and firewood for the people. They build doors, windows and solar panels on the provisional huts and provide access to drinking water and hygiene facilities. They also document the inhumane and illegal violence at the borders to raise public awareness. Their work is more important now than ever in winter and can save many people from dying of cold.
Wir Packen’s an
Wherever refugees suffer under the European border regime and have to sleep on park benches, under tarpaulins or in the woods, you can find the pink boxes full of relief supplies from "Wir Packen's an". Many people have almost forgotten the pictures from the Polish-Belarusian border last year. Refugees stuck in the forest between two border strips and in the face of thousands of officers of the Polish border police. At the time, “Wir Packen's an” was one of the few organizations that managed to deliver relief supplies to the people on the ground. People are still stuck at the border, and “Wir Packen's an” is still delivering relief goods: Hand warmers, sleeping bags, thermal pants and much more. Not only on the Belarusian border, but also, for example, on the Ukrainian border with Moldova. In a feat of strength, reception stations including six sanitary containers with showers and toilets were provided in this forgotten region within a very short time.
Liebe im Karton
"Liebe im Karton" e.V. or Lovebox is a volunteer Christmas package delivery campaign that has been distributing gifts to vulnerable children in Germany, Europe and the so-called Middle East since 2016. In addition, they organize year-round deliveries of relief supplies to crisis regions, including Ukraine, to support local people and rebuild destroyed structures. Together with their active network partner "Netzwerk Ziviler Krisenstab", they have been managing the coordination and logistics of more than 6,500 pallets of urgently needed relief supplies to Ukraine since February 2022.
Human Rights Legal Project
The Human Rights Legal Project (HRLP) is a legal aid organisation that combats human rights violations against refugees in Greece through legal representation, advocacy and public relations work and takes action against the criminalisation of refugees at the EU's external border.
Visions for Children
The situation in Afghanistan has been disastrous since the Taliban seized power. One of the groups suffering the most are girls: about half of the Afghan schoolgirls have been denied school attendance for more than a year. Visions for Children has found a way to support Afghan schoolgirls despite this. A new school construction project will reach about 1,000 students in a region of the country where girls of all grades can still go to school. In order to provide them with high-quality education, the construction of new classrooms is urgently needed, as they are currently taught in the hallway or in tents.
Mare Liberum
Mare Liberum documents human rights violations and border violence against people on the move in the Aegean Sea. On the life-threatening escape route between Turkey and Greece, migrants are regularly pushed back by the authorities using violent methods to prevent them from reaching Europe. By publishing testimonies, Mare Liberum makes the voices of affected people visible and fights collectively for the strengthening of basic human rights. By collecting and publishing data on the general situation in the Aegean Sea, the pressure on the relevant authorities to ensure that human rights are respected is increased.
N-Ost
As a transnational network that exists in times of increasing polarization and the increasing divergence of the media, N-Ost is breaking new ground in foreign journalism. As journalists in Ukraine are in great danger, N-Ost provides equipment necessary for survival, tries to provide psychological care and to support them in the field as well as in exile in their increasingly challenging work.
Viva Con Aqua
Viva con Agua supports clean drinking water worldwide! They support water, sanitation and hygiene projects with local and international partner organizations and a network of people. In cooperation with UNICEF, Viva con Agua provides clean drinking water and hygiene kits to families in Ukraine and in support centers near the border.
Arrival Aid
Arrival Aid is currently building capacity to support people upon arrival from Ukraine to quickly access jobs, education, and society.
Azadi Project
The Azadi Project, is a program that offers self-help based on therapy, coaching techniques and strategies through weekly group sessions with skilled staff. In this setting, women are free to share stories, fears, anxieties, or conflicts with other participants or simply listen to the other participants. These sessions aim not only to alleviate the emotional and psychosocial stress that many refugee women suffer from, but also to actively build and promote self-esteem among the women.
No Border Kitchen
No Border Kitchen started in 2015 as a self-organized, non-hierarchical group of cooking activists supporting people on their flight along the Balkan route to Europe and providing them with hot meals. Currently, they support people in need, both locals and refugees, with basic necessities and provide them with hot meals and food parcels. Regardless of gender, sexuality, nationality or religion, NBK supports anyone who needs help.
Cadus
CADUS is a non-profit and independent aid organization that initiates innovative and sustainable projects with a focus on medical care. Their primary goal is to help people to help themselves in line with their needs. The funding was used, for example, to implement a mobile modular medical care system for the Greek islands. The medical care situation on the Greek islands has only existed at all for people on the move because small NGOs have been working tirelessly to help against all the repression on the ground. The capacities and possible medical services have always been limited, and the situation has worsened massively due to the pandemic. CADUS built on the experience of the first mobile hospital for northeast Syria to create an even more mobile concept of a modular hospital on Lesvos, which can respond quickly and flexibly to the medical emergency on the ground. Thus, testing and treatment capacities were expanded and isolation tents for infected persons were provided. CADUS is also establishing a MEDEVAC system for the hostilities in Ukraine.
Community Volunteers
We have been working with the people from the camp for over a year and include them in our daily work at the LNOB Warehouse and Community Center. In this way, we give the refugees a space to develop and to escape the daily life of the camp for a while. Additionally, we offer educational programs, such as English classes three times a week.
Nicht reden. Machen!
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the "Nicht reden. Machen! e.V." has been actively involved in providing the people in the war zone with the most urgently needed relief supplies. Supplies such as food and clothing are provided, but also targeted medical needs such as asthma spray, antibiotics, bandages and surgical material.
Earth Medicine Physical Rehabilitation
Fleeing is traumatic, both psychologically and physically. To support refugees, survivors of torture and war in their healing process, a group of activists and therapists founded EMPR. The organization offers physiotherapy, acupuncture, and rehabilitation programs to people in the camp on Lesvos. One example is a program to improve chronic injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder through the use of acupuncture, physiotherapy, therapeutic massage and herbal remedies. Through their work, EMPR has also created jobs for refugees who work, for example, as interpreters. The activists regularly go to the camp to care for people with physical disabilities.
Community Center Lesvos
Our Community Center on Lesvos has become a versatile center and popular place in the immediate vicinity of the camp. In order to give the residents in the camp the possibility to do their laundry, six washing machines and twelve dryers were purchased. Thus, among other things, the anti-scratch mite program is supported on site. In addition, there are many other services such as a women's space, a kindergarten, and a distribution center where donations in kind in the form of clothing and hygiene items are distributed to the camp residents. There is also a gamer space and lounge area.
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.
TMR
TMR Refugee Aid Ukraine Berlin e.V. was founded in the course of the war in Ukraine at the beginning of March to support people fleeing the war zone. TMR operates in the region around Odessa and evacuates in difficult missions mainly people behind the Russian frontline. The donations are used e.g. for the purchase of evacuation vehicles or the monthly fuel costs.
Clowns without Borders
Clowns without Borders regularly visit Lesvos for a few days and try to improve the situation of the children on site. The volunteer Clowns without Borders take into account the special situation of the children with refugee experience and consider both the respective cultural backgrounds and the difficult living situation in the refugee camps on Lesvos.
No Name Kitchen
The independent movement No Name Kitchen was founded in 2017 by volunteers and people on the move and supporting people in search of a better life along the Balkan and Mediterranean routes. Since day one, the activists have placed great emphasis on ensuring that all actions are based on the needs, suggestions and feedback of the people on the move. Volunteer teams are stationed at border crossings where people fleeing face long journeys and violent rejections. There, they are trying to combine humanitarian and political measures to equip people with resources for self-protection. No Name Kitchen provides access to medical care, food, and clothing while denouncing border abuses to raise awareness and advocate for policy change.
Just Action – Samos
On the Greek island of Samos, refugees are completely isolated from the villages and towns of the island: high security fences, surveillance cameras and security forces turn the place into a prison. Since April 2020, Just Action activists' free food supermarket on the Greek island of Samos has been supporting the local, as well as the refugee community with food packages and hygiene items. In addition to the food parcels and hygiene items, Just Action Samos volunteers cover the cost of the bus tickets that the refugees need to get from the camp to the food distribution. The goal is to ensure food security for all those in need on the island, while building more resilient structures to ensure future access to food for all people on Samos.
Legal Centre Lesvos
In 2021, the practice of so-called "pushbacks", in which protection seekers are picked up either at sea or on land and forcibly repatriated, which is contrary to international law, reached a completely new quality. Refugees who had already reached the soil of Lesbos are picked up by masked men, often abused, kidnapped and abandoned on maneuverless "life rafts" on the open sea. Refugees, who are subjected to this violence rarely have access to lawyers or options to receive information about their rights. The Legal Center Lesvos fights against this and receives people directly after their arrival to provide them with legal support. This year alone, over 500 people were registered and brought into the regular asylum process. This protects refugees from further legal violations. In addition, the organization was one of the few to manage to bring two cases of human rights violations to the European Court of Justice.
STELP
STELP e.V. is a non-profit organization from Stuttgart and supports in crisis areas with a network of volunteers, partners and sponsors through fast and direct access to food, sanitary products, clothing and clean water. With projects on three continents, STELP's long-term goal is to sustainably improve the lives of people in need by helping them to help themselves. For LeaveNoOneBehind, STELP e.V. provided rapid emergency aid in Camp Lipa after a fire broke out there. On site, they provided people with necessities including sleeping bags, blankets, cooking pots and food packages. At the same time, STELP has increased capacity for teaching on the ground in Lesvos in cooperation with the School of Peace and delivered more than 500 tons of relief supplies to Ukraine and the embattled areas. Donations and funding is used to finance further aid transports and to purchase urgently needed relief supplies. Besides, STELP is working specifically on the immediate evacuation of people from Ukraine, which is directly funded by the grant.
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.
Mushkila Kabira
Mushkila Kabira is the English transliteration of an Arabic phrase meaning ‘big problem’. This is the phrase its founders heard when they began volunteering in Greece, and it's the perfect way to introduce what sparked the creation of the Mobile Info Team itself. Mobile Info Team is a volunteer organization that provides information to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Greece and other European countries about the asylum procedure and other relevant issues. The team also supports individual cases, mainly in family reunifications, but also, for example, in the preparation for the asylum hearing or applications for integration measures. In addition, Mobile Info Team collects testimonials from asylum seekers to support their rights through public relations.
We for Kids
We For Kids is committed to the development of children living in Samos HotSpot Camp between the ages of three and nine. They provide them with home-cooked, hot and healthy meals to strengthen their health. We for Kids was co-founded by Barbara, herself a refugee who arrived in Samos four years ago, and Evangelos, a local businessman. Together they now work with refugee children and adults as well as the local population on Samos.
One Happy Family
One Happy Family is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a safe space for asylum seekers, volunteers and people from different nations to meet. For this purpose, the Community Center was built on the Greek island of Lesbos. Due to its geographical proximity to Turkey, Lesvos is often a stopover for most people fleeing war and crises. Here, asylum seekers are often stuck for several months due to bureaucratic hurdles. To fill the gap caused by insufficient humanitarian aid and lack of government support, One Happy Family, together with its partner organizations and at the initiative and request of the asylum seekers, offers many different projects, such as schools, sports programs or psychological support. The range of projects varies according to capacity and need. Through the Community Center, One Happy Family aims to involve the people living in the camps in brainstorming and decision-making in order to strengthen their autonomy, self-drive and sense of responsibility.
Support of smaller NGOs with consumables
We have set up a fund on Lesvos in cooperation with a Greek NGO (Lesvos Solidarity), where small NGOs can use the original receipts to claim money for consumables (for example food and hygiene products), so that they can focus on the work on the ground and expand their capacities there.
Equal Rights Beyond Borders
Human rights violations against refugees at the Greek borders are becoming more severe every year. Equal Rights Beyond Borders is a Greek-German human rights organization that stands by the side of those seeking protection and supports them legally in their fight against undignified living conditions in the refugee camps, or against unlawful detention and illegal deportations. Among other things, ERBB finances the salary of a lawyer in Athens through our donations.
We become active where states fail to act. But only with your support!
With our work we put pressure on German politics to take responsibility and finally change something! Your donations will be used for the #LeaveNoOneBehind campaign: For our own projects, as well as for funded projects and organizations that provide urgently needed support at the EU’s external borders and refugee routes.