Our MttW member Jule is currently in Lesbos and working as a volunteer at the Paréa Community Center for LeaveNoOneBehind (LNOB). With this appeal we would like to collect money for the washing machines and dryers with which LNOB enables up to 500 refugees to wash clothes every month.
The refugees in the Mavrovouni camp are waiting for an asylum decision and live there in very poor conditions in a very small space with many people. The EU and the Greek government do not ensure that people are well supplied with basic materials (e.g. there is a lack of clothing, toothpaste, shampoo, washing facilities, food, etc.). NGOs like Leave No One Behind are trying to close this gap in care.
Since the Camp Moria fire in September 2020, the Greek island of Lesbos has almost disappeared from public view. But more than a thousand refugees are still trapped on the island – and are being held in precarious conditions for months and years. More and more people on the move are arriving on the island, whose situation is becoming increasingly worse. Camp Mavrovouni was opened as a transition camp after the devastating fire in Camp Moria. Almost 3.5 years have passed since the fire and the conditions in the “new” camp are still very bad: There are no washing facilities for clothes, especially skin diseases spread quickly and sanitary facilities are damaged. People wait months to years to know what happens next. The camp is a so-called CCAC – Closed and Controlled Access Camp. This means that only a few people other than the camp residents have access and high fences, cameras and police monitor everything. The area is located by the sea, exposed to the harsh winds that often come from the north. Photos and video recordings are prohibited. The main goal of the camp is to show that, if the EU has its way, refugees are not welcome in Europe. Under this link you will find a report on the conditions in the camp (in German).
With our appeal for donations we would like to do our part to ensure that the people in Camp Mavrovouni can continue to be helped and that their human dignity can be protected and their basic needs can be secured. Together with 7 partner organizations, Leave No One Behind is designing the Paréa Community Center on the Greek island. The word “paréa” in Greek means “community, circle of friends”. The center is located in close proximity to the Mavrovouni camp, where the refugees are housed. At Paréa, visitors can access a wide range of services in one place, including food and relief distribution, legal and psychosocial support, education and social care. Above all, Paréa offers refugees a feeling of normality and community. In February 2024, more than 9,000 refugees came to Paréa, an average of 432 visitors per day. In Paréa, LNOB runs a shoe/clothing department and a laundry as well as a free shop. Further information and impressions about Parea can be found in the monthly report (feb. 2024, in English).
Refugees can hand in their laundry every day at the Parea laundry. It is washed and dried in a rapid system to limit the transmission of diseases and germs and give people the opportunity to have clean clothes every day. The laundry consists of 8 washing machines and 14 dryers, which run continuously from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. These devices urgently need a check-up so that the laundry service can continue.
The donation amount will be used entirely for the maintenance of the laundry and will be fully transferred to LeaveNoOneBehind for this purpose. If a surplus of donations is received, it will be used for hygiene products for the Free Shop.
This is how you can support the work of LNOB and MttW member Jule on Lesbos:
- By bank transfer to one of our donation accounts (no fees):
| Recipient: | Magic to the World e.V. |
| IBAN: | DE65 4306 0967 1309 7243 00 |
| BIC: | GENODEM1GLS (GLS Bank) |
| Betreff: | Support Lesbos |
- Via Paypal to Magic to the World e.V. (ca. 2% fees)
- Via Jules GoFundMe-Campaing (ca. 3% fees)
We would like to thank everyone who takes part in our appeal for donations and thus supports both the work of LNOB on Lesbos and the People on the Move in their catastrophic living situation.
