Hundreds of thousands of people fled on foot from Greece to other European countries in 2015. Now, 4 years later, Arne Martin Thingnes are going to use the beginning of his retirement to shed light on the entrenched situation for refugees.
«Go for it» is a solidarity march through Europe, where Arne Martin will walk the opposite way of what was the busy route refugees walked in 2015. The purpose of the march is to highlight the difficult situation refugees are in, as people on the run still encounter closed borders and inhuman living conditions at the external borders of Europe. Let’s just GO FOR IT!
An event at Arendalsuken Monday 12th of August from 12:30-14:00 will act as the kick-off of the march, and will be held at the Bricolagen/Bankgården in Arendal.
Arne Martin will spend approximately 4 months on foot through Europe, and arrive at the refugee camp Moria on Lesvos. Arne Martin worked as a voluntary fieldworker with A Drop in the Ocean on Lesvos in 2015 and 2016, and has been keeping track on the development of the refugee situation in Greece and in Europe. The end game of his march is to «kind of meet the refugees on their journey”, he says. Additionally, he thinks it is important to shed light on the situation to facilitate change:
“I hope that this solidarity march can act as a wake-up call, to make sure that people’s awareness of the refugee crisis is raised, which I hope can help elevate the pressure on the governments in the EU. I also want Norway to accept more refugees into this country, to give them a safe environment to live in. If governments take action, the humanitarian crisis can cease to exist, and the refugee camps can be shut down.” – Arne Martin Thingnes.
During the solidarity march, Arne Martin will be accommodated by volunteers from A Drop in the Ocean, and settled refugees. When Arne Martin embarks on his journey, we will document the refugee situation in the countries he walks by, and how they handled what we in Europe refers to as the refugee crisis in 2015. We are also going to present the story of some of the people who made this journey 4 years ago. Arne Martin and A Drop in the Ocean are the organisers of this project.
Trude Jacobsen and Arne Martin Thingnes are both available to be interviewed, and can be contacted through email or mobile:
- Trude Jacobsen, Secretary General, A Drop in the Ocean, trude@drapenihavet.no, +47 481 72 718.
- Arne Martin Thingnes, voluntary fieldworker for A Drop in the Ocean; armathi@gmail.com
A Drop in the Ocean:
A Drop in the Ocean is and aid organisation with the purpose of supporting people on the run, and distribute information regarding the everyday-life of refugees and migrants. When applicable, the main focus is on helping children and their mothers. A Drop in the Ocean was founded in September 2015, and has since coordinated 6,000 volunteers to travel to Greece. Read more about A Drop in the Ocean here: www.drapenihavet.no/en/home.
Follow Go for It on Facebook here
By: Vibeke Hoem, Information Officer, A Drop in the Ocean Translated by: Hanne Buller
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