Information for Volunteers on Lesvos This document is for people who know they are coming specifically to Lesvos. If you are just beginning to consider volunteering in Greece, start here: www.bit.ly/howtovolunteeringreece. It includes more general tips on how to plan your trip and find where to work, based on your skills. ¿Hablas español? Hay información aquí (un documento de Bienvenidos Refugiados - Voluntariados Grecia). Languages other than English: See the “Regional Advisers” list. There may be someone in your home country/language who can help. Disclaimer: Please note that the information and contacts provided here are purely to help you decide whether you are physically and mentally able to to travel to Lesvos to help. The authors of this document (or, for that matter, any volunteer group working on Lesvos) can accept no liability for your decision or the outcome of your decision. Volunteering is entirely at your own risk. You will need to be responsible for your own personal safety and to fund the cost of travel yourself. If you share this document, please share via the shortlink (www.bit.ly/voldoc), and share the entire document, not just excerpts. It represents the collected wisdom of a lot of people, it is constantly updated and it is important that volunteers read the entire contents. To repurpose the content for use in other locations, please contact Info Point admins first. We’re happy to see this, but it’s important to maintain its neutrality--do not use it for a specific group, but for everyone working together in the area. What’s in this document? • First Steps and Bureaucracy (a bit of basic prep) • Where to Work (major groups operating, and guidelines for deciding who to contact) • Get to Know Lesvos (what are all those Greek names, and where are they?) • Pre-Trip Planning (arranging a hotel, car, etc) • When You Arrive (getting from the airport, buying a SIM card, etc) • Work Tips and Best Practices (if you read nothing else, read this!) • Leaving Lesvos (share what you’ve learned) • Emergency and Transport • Useful Links First steps... 1. READ READ READ… • This document. • GreeceVol.info, a platform for sharing what help is needed and which teams are working where. • “Refugee Reality Check”, a good document for background on the refugee situation and other volunteers’ experiences. 2….and then contact your “regional volunteer adviser.” That’s a fancy-sounding term. It really means “nice person in your area who has been to Lesvos and can answer your questions.” But please read through this doc first before reaching out. The master list of advisers is in the main Greece volunteer doc (http:// bit.ly/greecevoladvisers). ...and bureaucracy If you’re definitely coming to Lesvos, please take the following steps. They’re key for communication throughout the time of your volunteering. 3. Register with the police on Lesvos, via email. This IS official registration, and it is required. All information (for individuals and groups alike) is at www.ypai.gr. It’s *possible* the group you work with will handle this for you--please confirm. You will need to provide basic data about yourself and two passport-size photos. (If the website is not working, you can find the registration form at www.bit.ly/lesvolregistration.) If you’re already on Lesvos and still need to register, go to the Ministry of the Aegean (click for map pin; also on the volunteer map). 4. Join the Information Point for Lesvos Volunteers Facebook group. If you haven’t already. If you have more questions after reading this document, you can ask them there. 5. Download WhatsApp to your phone. There are two WhatsApp groups generally used across Lesvos. When you are certain you are coming, contact the admins of the respective groups to be added. Tell admins your name, where you’re working, what team you’re with and your WhatsApp number (with country prefix). You can also see instructions at this page on Facebook. 1. All-Lesvos Volunteers: daily boat arrivals and other business. Admins: Aris Vlahopoulos or Ihab Abassi on Facebook (or Ihab on WhatsApp at +30 697 1709794). 2. Lesvos Volunteers Social: for anything that’s not business! Meet for drinks, share rides, share memes, discuss issues. Admin: Theo Pat on Facebook. Where to Work In general, see the GreeceVol.Info Volunteers Needed page. If you register at the site, you will receive email notifications when new volunteer calls are posted. For place names mentioned in this section, see the Volunteer Map (www.bit.ly/lesvolmap). There is a more detailed explanation of all the places in the next section, Get to Know Lesvos. There is no central coordination telling volunteers where to go. It is up to you to read this material and follow up directly with specific groups, and make your own plan. To enter to the two main camps (Kara Tepe and Moria), you must be working with an organization with specific permission to enter. Beyond these camps, help is still needed at other places on the island, such as day centers for refugees and on the beaches for boat scouting. In all cases, you need to register with the police. As of March 2018, these are some of the groups working on Lesvos. For current specific needs, please see www.greecevol.info. Organization / infrastructure -- for EVERYONE To ensure smooth operations on the island, please allocate 2 or 3 days for work with warehouses, ideally when you first arrive. It is essential to the smooth workings on the island, and you will learn the larger system this way. • Attika is the main warehouse; contact on Facebook. • Humans 4 Humanity also often needs help sorting donations; contact on Facebook. Medical • DocMobile — operates in One Happy Family day center • Health Point Foundation — dental treatment in Moria • Light Without Border / Light to Your Eyes — provides eyeglasses and opthalmology support • Stichting Bootvluchtelingen (aka Boat Refugee Foundation, BRF) -- Dutch group, medical support for Moria, with special emphases on psychosocial support; two-week minimum, ages 23-60. Also at http:// bootvluchteling.nl/en/volunteer-registration/. General refugee support • Art Angels Relief -- arts education at Kara Tepe • Attika Human Support -- runs Attika warehouse and provides general supplies and support • EuroRelief -- the main staff inside Moria; apply at http:// eurorelief.net/volunteer/ • HELP International — general support and activities, mostly in Moria, and some at One Happy Family; also some warehouse work and boat spotting • The Hope Project -- Philippa and Eric Kempson provide support on the north coast, based in Eftalou, and also deliver aid and services to camps in the south • Humans 4 Humanity -- operates the Humanity Center day center, with a cafe, free shop, playground and activities for refugees near Moria • Lesvos Yoga Project — yoga, dance and mindfulness classes for refugees and volunteers at One Happy Family (see below) • Lifeguard Hellas -- runs “Swim Safe - Love the Sea” swimming instruction for kids at Kara Tepe camp • Mosaik Support Center -- community space run by Borderline Europe and Lesvos Solidarity. Language classes and other activities. • Movement on the Ground -- infrastructure, food and other support at Kara Tepe and the Moria olive grove • One Happy Family -- runs a community center and cafe with classes and activities near Kara Tepe (and several other orgs offer services here) • Pikpa Lesvos / Lesvos Solidarity -- self-organized camp for people with disabilities and illness, distributes food and other items. Volunteers must be 23+, able to stay 2 months or more, self- motivated, self-supported and enjoy a community-based lifestyle. • Refugee 4 Refugees -- Maintains a warehouse near Moria and (as of March 2018) will soon be opening Habibi Land Community Center. • Refugee Education and Learning (REAL) — provides classes at One Happy Family and Gekko Kids center. • SAO (Save Assist Outreach) — Swiss organization operating Bashira Centre, a day center for women in Mytilene (near Mosaik) • Sport for Refugees — running and other athletic activities, based at One Happy Family (see above) • Stand by Me Lesvos — runs the Sultana Center for women and children on the road to Moria camp. Has a mobile kitchen bus. • Stichting Bootvluchtelingen (Boat Refugee Foundation, BRF) -- Dutch group, provides first aid and other general support; ten-day minimum, ages 23-60. Also at http://bootvluchteling.nl/en/volunteer- registration/. Legal / info • Advocates Abroad -- legal support for people held at Moria, taking volunteer lawyers to support asylum cases in partnership with Greek lawyers • HIAS -- legal support, based in Mytilene • Zainabiyya -- legal and informational support in Moria -- especially needs speakers of Arabic, Farsi and Urdu Tech / Design • Low-Tech Lab - empowers migrants to make low-tech solutions for electricity, water, cooking, etc. Contact : [email protected] • Movement on the Ground — emphasis on designing key infrastructure • Office of Displaced Designers is a team of architects and designers working on improving conditions. Boat spotting Although boat traffic remains relatively low, and boats are often met by Hellenic Coast Guard, rather than arriving on shore, keeping a lookout for arriving boats is still necessary work to prevent accidents. • Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI) -- covers south coast of Lesvos • Lifeguard Hellas -- based in Molyvos (north) • Lighthouse Relief -- based at Skala Sykamineas (north) • Refugee Rescue -- based in Skala Sykamineas. Works with Lighthouse and Proactiva to do search-and-rescue as well. If you live on the island… If you live on Lesvos, your local knowledge is extremely valuable! If you want to help but can’t commit to the full-time shift work that visitors are doing (understandable!), you have a few options: • Pikpa -- If you are a local, please contact Yulie • Mosaik Support Center -- can use local residents for regular workshops, language classes, etc. • O Allos Anthropos Mytilene -- social kitchen cooks periodically for refugees (and anyone who wants food, really) • Low-tech Lab - making sustainable and empowering solutions (contact: [email protected]) • Light to Your Eyes Project -- collects and distributes prescription eyeglasses, and arranges for eye exams.