This summer I spent two weeks volunteering at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Chios. I was volunteering with an organization called A Drop in the Ocean. As volunteers, we called ourselves Drops.
Long-term volunteer steps down after 15 months
A Drop in the Ocean has a lot of dedicated volunteers. Some travel once, others travel several times to Greece to help displaced people. Some stay ten days, others stay much longer. But one man has stayed with us longer than anyone else!
Mother/baby space in Skaramangas
In Skaramangas refugee camp outside of Athens, A Drop in the Ocean has a space where mothers with small children can participate in various activities. At the centre, located in a ISO container, they can wash and bathe their children, change diapers and put on clean clothes. Pregnant woman close to giving birth are issued with maternity clothes and equipment that the baby need the first months. Many come to breastfeed in a quiet environment, and a get a break from life in the camp.
A Drop in the Ocean does it again!
7 months ago A Drop in the Ocean opened its first Drop Market in the Nea Kavala refugee camp. Now we’re doing it again! Today we’re opening our Drop Market in the largest refugee camp in Greece with around 3000 residents.
A million “Drops”!
About seven months ago, November 23rd 2016, our first Drop Market opened at Nea Kavala refugee camp. On what must have been a chilly Wednesday morning, our very first customer was a family who “bought”, amongst other things, two pairs of winter shoes, a belt and a coat. Since then, we have distributed more than 35,000 items to around 500 families. Now, we’re celebrating a turnover of one million “Drops”.