Hello again, it’s been a long 10 months since I’ve posted on here. Since my last stint in Greece I have done a lot of different community work at home, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. My life at home was missing purpose and before long I knew it was time for a dramatic change. So after much thought, I quit my jobs (yes I had several), rented my apartment and took out a small loan so that I could take a year to travel the world. My first mission was to come back to Greece to continue doing relief work with refugees who have come to Europe in search of a better life.
As many of you probably know, since March all of the European borders closed due to the EU/Turkey deal and many refugees who were still on route to their final destinations were left stuck in the country they found themselves at the time. In Greece, this number amounted to over 50,000 refugees stranded in various camps around the country, many left uncertain of what their futures hold.
I got to Greece (and more specifically Athens) about 2 weeks ago and spent my first couple of days playing tourist, as I had never been there before. It’s a beautiful city; full of history and culture under every step you take and with every turn you take. Originally my plan was to go work at a camp outside Athens, translating for Farsi speakers. Unfortunately (for me), the organization I was meant to partner with had no room as they had anticipated so I was left to find a new project. This is how I came across an independent effort being made by 3 individuals in the small town of Doliana, just outside the Northern city of Ioannina and close to the Albanian border.
The camp here in Doliana houses about 250 refugees of Syrian, Afghan and Kurdish descent. When I got here I was told that there has been little to no aid from NGOs at this camp. That’s why a fellow named Adam started providing ad hoc English classes for the residents, he was soon joined by a couple, Edmund and Erica and together they opened a classroom and library space in the village, minutes away from camp.
They began running regular classes for the children and adults and when I joined I was able to begin aiding them with teaching the Afghans as I speak Farsi (and they do not). From my first moment in Doliana I was very welcomed, by both the volunteers and the refugees. The children immediately started call me “khaleh”, an endearing term for women that are not part of your family, but considered close family friends- it’s true translation means “aunt”(specifically on your mother’s side).
I dove into my classes immediately and already many have improved in the short time that I’ve been here. As a result, my Farsi has improved a lot as well, though they often laugh at how American my accent is. I have found that everyone is extremely appreciative of the effort we are making, despite the sometimes confusing schedules and infighting amongst the families- for this reason, we have had to divide of some the classes to avoid any issues in the classroom.
There is so much to write about, from the relationships and atmosphere found in the camp, the sporadic help that comes from larger organizations who sweep in for a few days and then leave again, to the stories that have already been shared with me by some of the refugees. I hope to cover all these and more over the next few weeks. My original intention was to stay only a month, but within 48 hours I had already understood that the need for me to stay longer was more than necessary. I’ve now decided to stay in Doliana through to the end of December. Tomorrow, we are welcoming two new volunteers who will help with English programs and will hopefully begin a sports program for the children. (They have a lot of pent up energy that needs to be let out!)
As I mentioned, this is an independent effort made by us individuals. There is no funding from larger organizations and through donations from friends and family and money out of their own pockets, Adam, Edmund and Erica were able to bring this project to life. Any donation is greatly appreciated it as it goes towards the rental of the classroom spaces and classroom materials and books for the students. We are hoping to begin some new community programs, like knitting classes for the women and movie nights twice a week (one for the Arabic speakers and one for the Farsi speakers). To check out the project, visit: http://dolianasolidarity.org/
Until next time!
This Many Days to Freedom 