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.
Aachener Netzwerk
The "Aachener Netzwerk" for humanitarian aid and intercultural peace work was founded in 1993. At the time of the Yugoslavian wars, they brought transports of relief supplies to the civilians in need. Later, projects such as the children's circus Pinocchio served to bring people of different origins closer together. The "Aachener Netzwerk" is a non-profit association for the active and solidary fight against suffering and need - on the one hand through humanitarian aid projects, on the other hand through long-term projects for peace and international understanding.
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.
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.
Boat Theater Group
People sometimes live for years in refugee camps without any perspective and under the most precarious circumstances. In order to confront the lack of hope and perspective, a group of refugees on Lesvos founded the "Boat Theater Group". 14 people come together regularly in this group to develop creatively and rehearse. In August 2021, the group performed their play for 10 days at the LeaveNoOneBehind Warehouse next to the camp, creating a place of encounter and art alongside the horror of the camp. In the meantime, the project has moved to Athens.
Little Lotus
The Little Lotus Learning Center is an unusual educational institution. They work with refugee children in the town of Mytilene and follow the approach of learning through play, interaction and creativity. Daily activities are provided to give the children not only structure, but also something to look forward to each day. Little Lotus Learning Center is a safe place for children and a place of kindness, support, encouragement and joy. Since the opening of our Community Center, Little Lotus has been running the kindergarten in it.
Tolou
Tolou is a non-profit association with the goal of promoting access to education and housing, as well as personal development. In the new camp on Lesvos, they have built a team of eleven Afghan volunteer teachers who design and lead classes there depending on their own abilities. On Lesvos alone, more than 200 students benefit from this service every day. However, several hundred refugees also live in Mytilene, which is why Tolou is also opening a classroom in this town, where around 100 students have the opportunity to learn English, French, Greek and painting. In order to offer psychological stability to its participants, Tolou has also rented two apartments in Athens to accommodate people and offer them a safe space while they complete administrative procedures and have the opportunity to attend to professional or family matters.
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.
The Hope Project
The Hope Project Greece has been providing assistance to refugees arriving on Lesvos since early 2015. It does so based on the principles of dignity, compassion and safety for all. The robbery of the human dignity of refugees and the way they are treated cannot be accepted in Europe. Volunteers provide about 30 families daily with things they need, such as hygiene products, diapers, clothes, shoes, blankets and much more.
Northern Lights Aid
Northern Lights Aid (NLA) is a small NGO that supports the residents of the Perigiali refugee camp in Kavala, Greece. By distributing food, clothing, hygiene items, and other materials, NLA seeks to provide the basic necessities of life for the people affected. Located within walking distance of the camp, Northern Lights Aid provides a safe environment to learn, create and socialize through English classes, a skill-sharing workshop, a community garden and a free clothing store. NLA works closely with locals and camp residents to promote social inclusion and solidarity within the community. The recently expanded emergency assistance program supports particularly vulnerable families with food, medicine and transportation to ensure the asylum process runs smoothly.
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.
Arrival Aid
Arrival Aid is currently building capacity to support people upon arrival from Ukraine to quickly access jobs, education, and society.
UNDE Association
Romania is one of the poorest countries in Europe and hosts a large number of Ukrainian refugees. With the donations, the UNDE Association is implementing projects in Romania to build intercultural activities for Ukrainian refugees. Romanian and English language courses, vocational training for women, educational and recreational activities for children, as well as excursions and intercultural activities between Ukrainian and Romanian children are organized.
WARRIORS KDM e. V.
WARRIORS take care of the procurement and collection of relief supplies and ensure further coordination as well as necessary resources to transport them to Lviv. Thereby structures are used, which already existed before the war.
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.
SOS Balkanroute
For years, the situation of people fleeing across the so-called Balkan route has been getting worse and worse. Closed borders, illegal and violent pushbacks, as well as completely inadequate conditions in the Bosnian camps deprive the protection seekers of their rights and often put them in life-threatening situations. SOS Balkanroute is committed to helping people who have almost completely disappeared from the news and has been organizing collection drives and donation transports along the Balkan route since 2019. They also provide medical care and have built up a network of helpers along the Balkan route.
Contact and Counseling Center for Refugees and Migrants (KuB)
The Contact and Counseling Center for Refugees and Migrants (KuB) is a non-profit association in Berlin. The KuB supports refugees and migrants from all over the world and advises on questions regarding asylum and residence rights. Support is also provided for psychological and social problems. The funding enables the organization of German courses and leisure activities for precarious migrants.
FENIX Humanitarian Legal Aid
The violence against refugees at Europe's external borders escalates further and further. Human rights violations have become a daily occurrence, and refugees almost never have access to lawyers or information about their rights. Fenix challenges this through their work: Refugees receive free legal advice and representation as well as protection and support for mental health issues. Fenix works with a holistic approach: All those seeking advice receive holistic legal assistance, addressing their individual legal protection as well as mental health needs. Their special needs are taken into account and they are offered tools to cope with the very complicated procedures. The goal is to empower refugees and overcome barricades between them and their access to the legal system. In addition, Fenix brings cases to the Greek and European Courts to demand for compliance with human rights.
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.
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.
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.
Iran Journal
Reporting on the Iranian revolution and the regime's deadly violence has never been more difficult - or more important. Every day, it becomes more difficult to get reliable information. Iran Journal has been reporting on events in Iran since 2010, especially on human rights, gender issues, political and personal freedoms and plays an important role in the classification of events today. The aim is to give the readership and decision-makers in the German-speaking world a transparent view and insight into civil society developments in Iran, so that they can gain a holistic view for their opinion-forming process and integrate these impressions into their work. Iran Journal is thus the only independent medium in the German-speaking world with regular coverage of events in the Islamic Republic.
No Nation Truck
The activists of the No Nation Truck collective came together in 2019 to counter the racist policy of deterrence at the external borders of the EU with solidarity. The goal of the helpers is to support people seeking protection in a direct and unbureaucratic way as sustainably and effectively as possible. Through the mobility of the extended lorry of No Nation Truck, the collective can act flexibly, provide medical assistance, food distribution, power supply, and documentation of border violence. The expanded truck also houses a kitchen, a first aid area, and a power system that can charge several dozen mobile devices.
ReFOCUS Media Labs
ReFOCUS Media Labs aims to create a global network of media labs to enable global reporting. Lack of hope and perspective is an ordeal for people stuck in camps and on the move. At the same time, they are increasingly sealed off: journalists and photographers, for example, are no longer allowed to take pictures from the newly established camp on Lesvos, and the Polish-Belarusian border has been completely sealed off. Through media training, ReFOCUS Media Lab offers people on the move the opportunity to produce their own images - and thus not only circumvent the censorship imposed by the access restrictions for journalists, but also to communicate in a self-determined manner. In response to Russia's large-scale war of aggression on Ukraine, the activists have set up another lab in Kraków and give media training to Ukrainian refugees.
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.
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 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.