Dear Family and Friends,
Imagine being forced to leave everything you know and love for an uncertain future. Risking everything because your safety and arrival are unclear. Journeying to this new place with nothing, possibly feeling unwelcome and unable to work. Having lost family, friends, titles, and your sense of identity, perhaps? Giving up all sense of "normalcy" because even the violent conditions you are fleeing is not a life anyone deserves to be living. Imagine this.
I have always wanted to volunteer in the field providing humanitarian assistance. Here I am, finally doing it! I'm not sure what to expect, but this is what I do know:
I will be volunteering as an Emergency Responder with an amazing organization called Lighthouse Relief. Lighthouse Relief was created in 2015 to respond to the global refugee crisis in Europe and the influx of refugees arriving in Greece. Its programming and services have adapted to meet the needs of refugees since its inception. Currently, it remains one of the few organizations that continue to provide emergency landing response in Lesvos. Responders are on the lookout for boats 20 hours a day 7 days a week. Lighthouse Relief also offers a child-friendly space and youth engagement space in Central Greece.
After having spoken to coordinators on the field, they are in need of donations. Right now, they are seeing the most amount of boats arriving to Lesvos since 2015. It is rather unpredictable, but this past week they received 5 boats in one day.
When people are at the coast, emergency responders make sure they arrive safely and take them to a transit camp. At the camp, refugees are offered dry clothing and food before they are taken to another camp. Due to the low stock, we can only give them one change of clothes.
I am asking for your help. Please consider donating £5, the cost of one cup of coffee or even £1. Any amount, great or small, will help Lighthouse Relief continue fulfilling its mission.
For those who would rather give items, you can message me and order them through Amazon UK or I can purchase them here in London. Some item in need include kids shoes, trainers (men and women), trousers, t-shirts, underwear, tunics/dresses, leggings, long-sleeve shirts, hijabs/head scarfs, maternity clothing, toothbrushes/toothpaste, towels, bars of soap, sanitary pads, diapers, games, baby formula, baby bottles, socks, and more.
Thank you, I appreciate you for helping me in this effort!!
With Love,
Cris
There are 70.8 million forcibly displaced persons according to the UNHCR. Approximately half of those are children. https://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2018/
For more information on the global refugee crisis and refugee experience, I recommend these films:
Human Flow
Beasts of No Nation
Capernaum
Born in Syria
Paradise Without People
Refugee
**photo taken from Lighthouse Relief
