VOLUNTEER
IN LESVOS
Our story In January 2016, six colleagues from Karian and Box went to volunteer in Lesvos, Greece to help refugees and migrants who arrive on the island’s shores in rubber dinghies every day, fleeing their war-torn homelands in Syria and across the Middle East. They went to lend a hand where they could, providing aid in Lesvos’ refugee camps and providing immediate assistance to the boats that landed.
Meet the Karian and Box volunteers
Ghassan Karian Managing Partner
Alice Mullin Creative Designer
Sigita Russell Research Executive
Rory Bligh Senior Research Executive
Dan Keane Research Executive
Rebecca Moore Engagement Consultant
On the beaches The journey the refugees make from Turkey to Lesvos can take anything from two to eight hours. When looking across the sea Turkey seems so close, but making this journey in an overcrowded dinghy is all too often fatal. The news is full of stories of the boats that do not make it. Along with other volunteers, we provided immediate assistance for several boats that landed on Lesvos, typically at night. Some boats would run out of fuel before they had reached the shore and would have to be towed by the Greek coastguard or boats belonging to NGOs and volunteers. On one occasion, we waded out into the sea to pull the boat in and provided them with dry, warm clothing, food and assistance once they had made it safely to shore. With over 25 boats of 30-40 refugees on board arriving that day, the volunteers were spread thinly, meaning that our help was essential.
In the refugee camp Once the refugees have arrived at Lesvos, they are registered at Moria, one of three refugee camps on the island. They will then stay in Moria or another camp until they are able to leave and get the ferry to Athens. We worked in two of the camps: Moria and Kara Tepe. At Moria we distributed warm meals with Oxfam and our own donations of fruit via Action Aid. At Kara Tepe we worked with the Volunteer Co-ordination Agency, distributing clothes, food, bedding, and vital supplies to the camp’s visitors. We also helped organise the logistics at Kara Tepe and the distribution warehouses, making sure that received donations were on the front line ready to be given to those in need. Towards the end of our journey, we were able to help construct a hut in Kara Tepe from which we could distribute warm chai tea to those who had arrived from the wet and cold.
Turn over to find out more about our time in Lesvos, and how you can support our ongoing efforts to provide aid for the refugees and migrants who land on the island’s shores.
Find out more Check out our blog and Facebook pages to find out more about our incredible, eye-opening experiences in Lesvos.
facebook.com/KandBLesvos/
blog.karianandbox.com/ tag/volunteering/
Support the cause Now we have experienced the situation on the ground in the refugee camps, we are more desperate than ever to provide any help that we can. We want to continue to raise more much-needed funds to contribute practical support, partnering with agencies like VCA and Action Aid to maximise the impact that our fundraising can have. Thank you so much to all of our clients, colleagues and friends that have already donated, and if you would like to make a donation, please visit our fundraising page at gofundme.com/K-B_LesvosAid