Love For Lesvos
Donation protected
Hello Everyone!
Our names are Andy and Emma and we are college students from the Pacific Northwest. We are reaching out to raise money for a volunteer opportunity to work with refugees this summer.
The Backstory:
Every year, thousands of refugees flee violence and poverty in the Middle East. Most of these people have had to pick up their families and run in fear for their survival and their children's safety. They leave their homes behind, often with nowhere to go. Many risk treacherous journeys, only to end up in refugee camps where living conditions are horrific. These refugee camps are extremely overcrowded and most refugees have to wait at least a year to interview in hopes of asylum elsewhere.
Refugee 4 Refugees:
Omar Alshakal knows firsthand the weaknesses of the asylum process. As a former refugee, Omar struggled to start a new life after swimming 14 hours to Lesvos, Greece and finally being granted asylum in Europe. Realizing he was the best placed person to help fellow refugees, he returned to Lesvos and set up an organization to provide humanitarian assistance. This organization, Refugee4Refugees (R4R), responds to refugees within minutes of their arrival on the island of Lesvos, Greece and continues to provide support in the following months of their stay.
Why We Are Going:
Camps like the one on Lesvos are only operational with the help of volunteers. While in communication with R4R, we found out that the refugee-aid organization is highly understaffed for this summer. We were inspired by Omar's story and shocked at the overwhelming need. As college kids, we cannot give much monetary support, but we can share our time.
When We'll Go:
We're planning on volunteering from July 2 to August 5.
What We Would Be Doing:
Many people on the island are young children without access to education. We will be leading daily activities and classes for the children. We'll also be teaching swimming classes to help refugees overcome the fear of water.
Due to the massive number of people on the island, the beaches and camps are constantly littered. We'll assist in cleaning the beaches and informal settlements outside the camps.
Refugees often arrive without clothing and hygiene items. We'll be helping with the distribution of these and other necessities.
Lesvos is still attracting hundreds of refugees every month. Refugees often arrive at night, many in desperate need of food and/or medical attention. We will be trained to assist in the boat landings and rescues at all hours of the day.
The work needed in a refugee camp is always changing. Once we arrive, we will be helping in any way we can.
The Costs:
The round-trip airfare cost us $1,200 each.
We will be living in volunteer housing, which costs $350 each for the time we'll be there.
We'd also love to raise money to donate to R4R when we go. Our goal is to raise $600 for R4R.
How You Can Help:
Because we are college students, it is not easy to come up with the money to make a trip like this. Our goal for this campaign is to use the funds raised to assist in the costs listed above.
We will greatly appreciate any support! Whether you decide to give or just pass along this information to a friend, we thank you.
For more information, check out: Refugee4Refugees
Thank you!
Andy and Emma
Our names are Andy and Emma and we are college students from the Pacific Northwest. We are reaching out to raise money for a volunteer opportunity to work with refugees this summer.
The Backstory:
Every year, thousands of refugees flee violence and poverty in the Middle East. Most of these people have had to pick up their families and run in fear for their survival and their children's safety. They leave their homes behind, often with nowhere to go. Many risk treacherous journeys, only to end up in refugee camps where living conditions are horrific. These refugee camps are extremely overcrowded and most refugees have to wait at least a year to interview in hopes of asylum elsewhere.
Refugee 4 Refugees:
Omar Alshakal knows firsthand the weaknesses of the asylum process. As a former refugee, Omar struggled to start a new life after swimming 14 hours to Lesvos, Greece and finally being granted asylum in Europe. Realizing he was the best placed person to help fellow refugees, he returned to Lesvos and set up an organization to provide humanitarian assistance. This organization, Refugee4Refugees (R4R), responds to refugees within minutes of their arrival on the island of Lesvos, Greece and continues to provide support in the following months of their stay.
Why We Are Going:
Camps like the one on Lesvos are only operational with the help of volunteers. While in communication with R4R, we found out that the refugee-aid organization is highly understaffed for this summer. We were inspired by Omar's story and shocked at the overwhelming need. As college kids, we cannot give much monetary support, but we can share our time.
When We'll Go:
We're planning on volunteering from July 2 to August 5.
What We Would Be Doing:
Many people on the island are young children without access to education. We will be leading daily activities and classes for the children. We'll also be teaching swimming classes to help refugees overcome the fear of water.
Due to the massive number of people on the island, the beaches and camps are constantly littered. We'll assist in cleaning the beaches and informal settlements outside the camps.
Refugees often arrive without clothing and hygiene items. We'll be helping with the distribution of these and other necessities.
Lesvos is still attracting hundreds of refugees every month. Refugees often arrive at night, many in desperate need of food and/or medical attention. We will be trained to assist in the boat landings and rescues at all hours of the day.
The work needed in a refugee camp is always changing. Once we arrive, we will be helping in any way we can.
The Costs:
The round-trip airfare cost us $1,200 each.
We will be living in volunteer housing, which costs $350 each for the time we'll be there.
We'd also love to raise money to donate to R4R when we go. Our goal is to raise $600 for R4R.
How You Can Help:
Because we are college students, it is not easy to come up with the money to make a trip like this. Our goal for this campaign is to use the funds raised to assist in the costs listed above.
We will greatly appreciate any support! Whether you decide to give or just pass along this information to a friend, we thank you.
For more information, check out: Refugee4Refugees
Thank you!
Andy and Emma
Fundraising team (2)
Andy Ruud
Organizer
College Place, WA
Emma Tucker
Team member