As a volunteer in Lesvos, you get to meet a lot of wonderful people who touch your heart and soul in a number of ways. Yesterday, we had two such encounters at our Drop Centre in Moria Village. First, as we prepared for our daily English class, a local, Greek, elderly woman stopped by our centre with some beautiful flowers. This was the second time this week that she stopped by to give us flowers. To us, these gifts symbolized our increasing acceptance in the village and the friendly relations we have cultivated with our local neighbours. This is so important, especially since many of the people in the village were initially sceptical to host foreign volunteers and a centre for refugees.
The bravest woman of the year 2018 – Trude Jacobsen
I have not even prepared a thank you speech, I never thought it would be me. I’m very happy, but this is not just my award, there are so many who have dropped everything they had in their hands and helped establish this new Norwegian NGO. I also hope that the price can help to focus on women on the run. And then I have to thank my family – I went to Greece for three days and came home as a completely different person. – Trude Jacobsen after receiving the prize 13. October 2018
International Day of the Girl
A popular holiday destination for many Europeans, the Greek island Lesvos is also the gateway to the European Union for many refugees and migrants. In 2015, during the height of the influx, several thousand people landed on the island’s beaches on a daily basis. However, back then, Lesvos was an island of transit from Turkey to the Greek mainland and other European countries. Today, following EU’s heavily-criticised deal with Turkey and policies of containment, more than 10 000 refugees, the majority from war-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, are trapped in precarious conditions on the island, while waiting out their asylum claims. Crucially, what is happening on Lesvos is a not merely or primarily a result of the inefficiency and mismanagement of the Greek asylum system, but rather a direct result of European countries’ hardening stance toward people fleeing war, persecution and poverty.
Seniors can make camp life more bearable
Are you practical? Do you like to repair, repurpose, see concrete results – even though it is neither artistic or professional work? Are you good at building relationships and have a highly developed solidarity gene? Do you like to sew a shopping bag from an old pair of paint stained jeans? Are you comfortable stacking, sorting and clearing? Your qualifications are requested.
Upcoming online course for our new Volunteers through Pro-Bono project with Oslo Design Agency ‘Design Container’!
During one of the hot and beautiful summer days in Oslo this year, a Drop in the Ocean was approached by the Design Agency ‘Design Container’, offering to provide their services through a pro bono project developing a Program according to our organization’s needs. Needless to say, we were thrilled!