WE KEEP GOING: PART 1

Our organization’s small size has always allowed for flexibility in how we fulfill our mission: we provide humanitarian aid to refugees, both at home and abroad. In March, as Covid-19 continued to spread across the world and confirmed infection numbers were doubling on a daily basis, it became clear that vulnerable refugees living in overcrowded and unsanitary camps needed more hygiene aid more than ever. So, as ever, we’ve been able to adjust quickly to keep going.

We Keep Going has become a sort of rallying cry for us as an organization and a motto to show our supporters that nothing will stop us from doing what we can for refugees around the world. When we temporarily shut the LHI Refugee Center in Greece, our team started an online program and kept going. When our team of 25 amazing people was forced to leave the Center, 3 stayed behind to ensure that the 1,100+ Yazidis get our crucial distributions of aid. When shelters along our southern border started running out of basic necessities like soap for Central-American families seeking asylum, we shipped some to them. And when we asked our volunteers, past and present, to participate in an inspirational project to send a message of hope to refugees around they world, they did this:

The next few blog posts in this series will illustrate in greater detail some of the origins and outcomes of our adaptability in times of flux and uncertainty. Stay tuned!

Volunteer Spotlight: Loren!

Q: Will you please tell us who you are and share a few details about yourself?

My name is Loren Thomas. I am 67 years old, a retired school district superintendent and college administrator from the US. I hold 3 masters degrees (Philosophy, Religion, Education) and a doctorate. My career in education spanned 45 years. Along the way I have done other volunteer work; with Southeast Asian refugees in Philadelphia and New Jersey, in a Quaker school in Costa Rica, as a hospitalero in albergues along the Camino de Santiago. My current goal is to continue to work, but only as a volunteer, in ways that use my background, education, experience in the service of other people. 

Q: What is your position at LHI, and what is a typical day at the Refugee Center like for you?

Initially I came to Serres to volunteer with Lifting Hands International, thinking I would teach yoga and English. But, the need for English teachers far exceeds the need for yoga teachers. So, I teach 4 English classes per day, all different levels from "pre-ABC" (no English at all) up through Level 3 (about equivalent to middle school reading level in the US). My "work day" is noon to 6 PM, and occasionally I teach the conversation hour or participate in yoga from 6-7 PM. I need to run and mediate daily and I find the morning time perfect for both of those as well as preparation time. To be honest, it is harder than I had anticipated. But, being here is quite meaningful. I am learning a lot and feel moved to be getting to know my Yazidi students.

Q: What have you learned while working in Serres?

Two things strike me from this experience. First, I am so impressed with the friendliness, kindness, and optimism of the Yazidi. In spite of all that they have suffered, most of those I've met are fun and optimistic about their lives. They want to come to class and are anxious to learn and appreciative that we are here. Second, I am struck by the volunteers. On average, I am about 4 decades older than they are. So, for obvious differences in culture and age, I haven't really "socialized" with my colleagues. But, in every conversation I am struck by these smart, well educated (most have masters degrees), multi-lingual young men and women. They could be fast-tracking their careers. But they are here—giving, learning—and having their lives changed forever. As one "on the other side" of adult life, I feel greatly encouraged about the future and how this generation of young men and women will contribute to the world. I am leaving feeling thankful, grateful for all those I've met, and encouraged about what can happen in the world.

Thank you so much, Loren! We share your optimism!

Click here to learn more about our Refugee Center in Serres, Greece.

Volunteer Spotlight: Jeanne!

Q: Will you please tell us who you are and share a few details about yourself?

A: Hey, my name is Jeanne, I’m 21 and I’m from France. I’m currently on a gap year between my bachelor and my masters (in geopolitics). I volunteered in France for other organizations but this is my first time getting involved for a long run and in a foreign country.

Q: What is your position at LHI, and what is a typical day at The Refugee Center like for you?

A: I’m in the Child-Friendly Space (CFS). In the morning, we have warehouse shifts (sorting out clothes, counting diapers) or activities for older kids on the weekends (football, dance, kids yoga). In the afternoon, I’m in the tent with the CFS kids (2–6 year olds) playing doctors, coloring, or building train rail circuits. My day can end with Conversation Hour, where I get to interact with the adult residents.

Q: What have you learned while working in Serres?

A: I’ve learned a lot thanks to the amazing and inspiring people that are a part of my experience. I’ve learned how to be with kids. My English has gotten better, as well. I’ve had responsibilities and I feel people have trusted me which is so rewarding. Focusing on the daily basics, on what’s important, seeing someone smiling or hearing a kid laughing is also something I’ve learned to value in Serres. My convictions are reinforced because LHI showed me that there is such a thing as human solidarity.

Thank you so much, Jeanne!

Click here to learn more about our Refugee Center in Serres, Greece.

Volunteer Spotlight: Liam and Esther!

Q: Will you please tell us who you are and share a few details about yourselves?

A: Liam, 26, from England. Anthropology graduate and English teacher with no previous volunteer experience.

A: Esther, 27, from The Netherlands. Psychomotor therapist, development anthropology postgraduate wanting to use bodily-based, creative ways to support the mental health of people coming from conflict. Volunteered in a counselling center in Uganda with women that had gone through the war with the Lords Resistance Army, and co-founded a non-profit working with creative self-expression in Zambia.

Q: What is your position at LHI, and what is a typical day at The Refugee Center like for you?

A, Liam: I’m an English teacher, I have 3 lessons a day, which I plan for in my spare time. I also help out with women's self-defense classes.

A, Esther: I’m a yoga & dance instructor. For both of us the day starts early. Liam has English classes in the morning, and I start the day with women's fitness and women's yoga. When we have a break we go to a local cafe to prepare our work. In the afternoon, Liam often goes to do a work out with the residents during the men's weights sessions, and then teaches self-defense to some of the women. I often do games and sessions with children, and finish the day with more yoga. :)

Q: What have you learned while working in Serres?

A, Esther: On my first day here, it felt like I had never done yoga! I all of a sudden got very insecure, and working with LHI really gave me an opportunity to experiment with yoga and meditation, finding what suits the residents, and what my own style is. It taught me how to use yoga—also for the kids activities—in a way that is both meaningful and fun.

A, Liam: This was my first experience teaching English after getting qualified to do so, and I felt very nervous at first. The experiences have taught me a lot about using my skills and have given me the confidence and self-belief to continue with my teaching!

Thank you for all you do, Liam and Esther!

Click here to learn more about our program and Refugee Community Center in Serres, Greece.

6 Fast Facts about LHI's Northern Greece Program

By: Hayley Smith, LHI Founder/Director

The LHI Refugee Center in Serres, Greece is a buzzing hive of activity where we provide myriad therapeutic psychosocial services that provide structure, opportunities to progress, and healing. Many people are unfamiliar with exactly what we do there, so here are 6 fast facts about the program that explain it a little more:

Here I am doing some acro-yoga with Virginia, our awesome arts and recreation volunteer!

1. We don’t run a refugee camp! Rather, we run a community center next to two refugee camps (Greece runs the camps with funding from the United Nations). The second camp only opened a couple of months ago, the first just over 3 years ago. We’ve been providing services since the very beginning.

2. All of the 1,000+ residents of the camps are Yazidi, an ethnic/religious minority who experienced genocide. Most of them will eventually relocate to Germany or The Netherlands, but it takes years of waiting. 

3. The Center’s main focus is providing psychosocial support, which “helps individuals and communities to heal the psychological wounds and rebuild social structures after an emergency or a critical event,” (UNICEF). Psychosocial support is just as important as critical as crisis response.

4. Our psychosocial services are based on UN recommendations and include English and German classes, a designated women’s space, a children’s space, group music classes, fitness and trauma-informed yoga for both men and women, drama-therapy activities, community events, opportunities to volunteer as an official part of our volunteer team, and more.

5. Hundreds of Yazidis attend our daily services. Their feedback is that while they’re at the Center, they don’t think about their trauma. They focus on taking advantage of any way to progress, to grow in knowledge, to be part of something, and enjoying the support of independent volunteers who are there just for them.

6. We also distribute much needed aid. Many refugees go without, simply because they don’t have the means to provide for themselves. We distribute bulk dry foods (flour, oil, sugar), summer and winter clothing for each refugee in the two camps, diapers, feminine hygiene items, and also personal hygiene items.

Computers provides a connection to the outside world for refugees from nearby camps.

Language classes taught at our Refugee Center help with preparation for resettlement.

I hope this gives you a little more information about what goes on at our Refugee Center in Serres, Greece!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM

Volunteer Spotlight: Melissa!

Melissa (second from left) with other LHI volunteers in Serres, Greece.

Q: Will you tell us who you are and share a few details about yourself?

A: Melissa, 39, and from the United States. I have a Bachelor’s in Studio Art, a Juris Doctorate, and a Master of Law in International Human Rights.

Q: What is your position at LHI, and what is a typical day at The Refugee Community Center like for you?

A: I am a volunteer in the Female-Friendly Space. A typical day includes setting up for whatever activity we have that day and then helping out when the Center is open to residents. I participate in the activities, sit and chat with the women, and work with the other volunteers to make sure everyone feels welcome.

Melissa in Greece.

Q: What have you learned while working in Serres?

A: The main thing I’ve learned here is the residents we work with are real people who are just like us. The kids cry when they get hurt, the teenagers are particular about how their hair looks, and mothers need adult conversation after being with their children all day. They are more similar to us than they are different.

Thank you for all you do, Melissa!

Click here to learn more about our program and Refugee Community Center in Serres, Greece.

Untitled, by Naif

Don’t let me feel sad
because I have already
broken my heart
on that country.

I was living.
We were feeling very happy.
But something happened,
changed everything there

and in a very short time
demolished everything
until our beautiful dreams
were gone.

I hope we become as we were.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAM IN GREECE HERE! AND IF YOU’RE FEELING GENEROUS, WE ALWAYS NEED $$ DONATIONS TO KEEP THE PROGRAM RUNNING AND SUPPORT RESIDENTS LIKE NAIF AND HIS FAMILY!

Happiness, by Fahima

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAM IN GREECE HERE! AND IF YOU’RE FEELING GENEROUS, WE ALWAYS NEED $$ DONATIONS TO KEEP THE PROGRAM RUNNING AND SUPPORT RESIDENTS LIKE FAHIMA AND HER FAMILY

Volunteer Spotlight: Anna, Serres Program

Anna P. is a jack of all trades at the LHI Refugee Center in Greece. Her German students are so lucky to learn from a skilled native German speaker in the morning, and the women enjoy her bright personality in the Female-Friendly Space in the afternoon. She’s also very involved in the women’s social enterprise Duzzi, training women in making wall hangings and overseeing sales. At the end of the day, you’ll always find Anna making friends with everyone she meets, speaking Greece, or reading pretty hefty intellectual books!

1. Tell us a little about yourself:
Hello I'm Anna, 23, from Germany. Before I came to Greece I finished my BA in anthropology in Leipzig.

2. What is your position at LHI?
I am involved with multiple programs in LHI. I teach German in the morning, I also work in the Female-Friendly Space in the afternoon. On top of that, I am one of the people on the ground for the Duzzi (wall hangings) social enterprise.

3. How and why did you get involved with LHI?
I really liked the opportunity to work so close with women. At that I appreciate LHI as an grassroots organization as it is still growing, and it values the work on an eye-to-eye level with the residents.

4. What is a typical day of working at LHI's Refugee Center like for you?
Every day is different here, but my typical day starts in the morning at 10 with my women’s German class. Afterwards when the weather is nice I usually stay on the field, help a bit with things like tiding the library or weeding the garden. In the afternoon I am helping with the program (arts and crafts, crocheting or games) in the Female-Friendly Space, which usually goes until 6.

5. What has been your most rewarding experience working in Serres?
I think my most rewarding experience are the small simple moments of the everyday life here. Sometimes it is just a simple chat about food with the women, the curiosity of a toddler or the simple exchange of a hello in Kurmanji (“Bashee!”) on the way to the centre with some of the residents. As a teacher it is also amazing to see how eager to learn the students are, and how much progress my students already made since I came here.

6. What have you learned since volunteering with LHI in Serres? Has your perspective on anything changed?
I learned a lot from the work with the Yazidi community. For example I learned that the simple things are sometimes so much more than we think they are and I developed a different sense of gratitude towards life and connecting to other humans now.

Find out more about volunteering at the LHI Refugee Center in Serres, Greece here!

Volunteer Spotlight: Cecilia, Serres Program

Yes, Cecilia brings expertise, dedication, and amazing teamwork to LHI, but the greatest thing she brings to all who work and associate with her is JOY. Her versatile and diplomatic personality make her an ideal member of any team in any program. We are so lucky that — as the current volunteer coordinator — Cecilia’s is the voice that our incoming volunteers hear! Thank you for months of amazing work and for making everyone feel welcome and loved.

Cecilia paints her square on the new tent!

1. Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Cecilia Sanfelici, I’m 22 and I come from Italy. I graduated from a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, and I am currently on my gap year before starting a master’s in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action. My life and career goal is to work in NGOs or international organizations which provide support to refugees on the ground. I previously volunteered with refugees in a small border town in Italy.

2. What is your role at LHI?
I have been volunteering in the Female Friendly Space since October, but as of the December I am the Volunteer Coordinator for LHI.

3. How and why did you find out about LHI?
After graduating, I felt the need of getting more practically involved in the terrible situation that refugees face after their arrival in Europe, and as soon as I found out about LHI through a friend, I knew that this was the place to be for me.

4. What is a typical day of volunteering at LHI's Refugee Center like for you?
My schedule has been changing quite a lot. Until December, I used to spend my mornings in the warehouse and the afternoons at our community centre, in the Female Friendly Space. Since I became the Volunteer Coordinator, I work from home in the mornings, but I still spend every afternoon at the field, working with the women and the girls.

5. What has been your most rewarding experience working at LHI’s refugee center in Greece?
There are two most rewarding things about this job. Firstly, all the simple and happy moments spent with the residents: realizing that I am making my part in creating a safe space where people can learn, laugh, play, dance, and confide in me, is extremely important to me. Secondly, seeing that the projects of LHI on the ground are growing and evolving gives a lot of hope, and makes me understand that I have done my part in allowing some refugees to get more and more services and support.

6. What have you learned since volunteering with LHI in Serres? Has your perspective on anything changed?
Working with LHI in Serres has taught me what I think is the real nature of volunteering: helping people and helping myself at the same time. Helping myself to change and grow into the person that I want to become. Yazidis are an incredibly strong and wonderful population for so many different reasons. I admire their strength, their resilience and their ability to smile and find something positive even when everything in their life is dark. Working in close contact with them for such a long time made me realize that I want this not only for myself, but for everyone.

Female-Friendly Space team!

Find out more about volunteering at the LHI Refugee Center HERE!

Greek Classes in Serres!

Something in Greek… ;)

Chrysa, a native of Serres, Greece teaches Greek at the LHI Refugee Center. And she does it all as a volunteer! Not only are her classes engaging and effective, lots of children take every second that Chrysa is on site to practice their Greek that they've learned in school.

Refugees spend a lot more time in Greece than they anticipate, as resettlement is a long process. Refugees can't work in Greece, but they do interact quite a bit with locals at market, hospital, grocery store, etc.

Volunteer Spotlight: Hannah, Greece Program

Hannah at shoe distribution!

1. Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Hannah (25, from Germany). I have a master’s degree in psychology and would like to become a psychotherapist working in the field of humanitarian work. I previously spend three months in Ghana working in an orphanage and teaching children of all age levels basic English and Maths. Two years ago, I worked in a Yezidi only camp in Katzikas, Greece and now I have the opportunity to work with Yezidis again in Serres.

2. What is/was your position at LHI? 
I am currently managing the CFS Program of LHI which means that I am responsible for creating activities for the 3-6 year old children together with my amazing team of volunteers.

Hannah (3rd from right) and the Child-Friendly Space team!

3. How and why did you get involved with LHI?
LHI was one of many organizations that I found online when I decided to volunteer in Greece. They got back to me quickly and during the whole application process I already felt welcome and well informed. One important reason for me to work with LHI (even if that must sound a bit horrible) is that they actually pay their managers a small salary and cover the housing costs if you stay for a certain amount of time, which I think is a very sustainable approach because it guarantees that people can afford to stay long-term.

4. What is/was a typical day of working at the LHI Refugee Center like for you?
That is so difficult to describe in a few sentences, because no day looks like the other. Every day we provide activities for the children from 3 to 6 o’clock. These activities range from crafting, sportive activities and gardening to reading and writing, construction, role plays and sensory games. In addition to that I spend a lot of time in the mornings in team meetings, check-ins to make sure my volunteers are feeling good, shopping trips for materials and administrative work.

One of Hannah’s activities for children at the Child-Friendly Space in Serres, Greece!

5. What has been your most rewarding experience working in Serres
Seeing an idea that you had in mind for the children working out is always such a rewarding moment for me. And even if we are not supposed to have favorite kids, a small boy that seems to be on the autistic spectrum makes my heart melt every single time I see him laugh and having a good time in our space.

6. What have you learned since volunteering with LHI in Serres? Has your perspective on anything changed?There is an endless list of things that I learned here. Apart from practical things during work it is learning that not only am I capable of being surrounded by the same group of people every day, work and live with them and have a very limited amount of privacy but that I really don’t mind it and on the contrary quite enjoy it. Working with Yezidis, who have been through so much, inevitably changes your perspective on your own live and on the priorities that you have. And also, being surrounded by truly inspiring people from all over the world who dedicate their time to helping refugees really broadened my horizon through interesting conversations that I would never have had in a different context and just the way they live their lives.

Find out more about the LHI Refugee Center in Serres, Greece HERE!

A little teapot thank you!

A few years ago, some residents of Serres camp came to us with a humble request: one teapot per family. Families were using discarded tins to boil water over a fire, and people were getting burned. They told us that they would understand if we couldn’t provide them, since teapots aren’t considered essential aid. So we came to you for help, and within a day, you donated enough funds to buy each family a teapot. 

Two and a half years later, they still use their teapots. They will often bring tea to the LHI Refugee Center from the camp, specifically to LHI volunteers as a token of gratitude and hospitality, something so important in their culture. 

On behalf of the several families of Serres camp, thank you for your continued support. 

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Happy LHI Anniversary, Iona!

We want to wish Iona a super Happy LHI anniversary! Iona (23, from England) has been the Female-Friendly Space program manager at the LHI's Refugee Center in Serres, Greece for an entire year. She not only runs the program but also built it up from scratch.

What is the Female-Friendly Space that she runs so well? It is a safe, healing space reserved just for women (ages 13+), where they can relax, enjoy a cup of coffee, spend time with one another, and take part in several healing activities. Iona and her team host daily activities, such as crafts, games, use of sewing machines, films, beauty days, and others.

We're so grateful for Iona's dedication, expertise, sense of humor, thorough understanding of Brexit politics (and anything Harry Potter), and grounding presence for the hundreds of women that have enjoyed the FFS over the last year.

#volunteer #liftinghands #humanitarian

Life story by Sami, Yazidi resident of Serres camp

Sami is 19 and consistently attends English classes. He wrote this story in English! Sami also regularly volunteers for us at the Child-Friendly Space and teaches them English! He is such a kind young man who has experienced so much hardship for someone so young, yet is so resilient.

My Life by Sami

My name is Sami, I’m from Iraq. I was born in 1998 in a village called Khusory. I have two brothers and five sisters.

I was a student in high school and finished in 2015. I had a shop until 2014 because we lived there.

We had to go to the mountain where we lived for 7 days because we had a war. After 7 days we walked the mountain until Syria. 12 hours we walked until we arrived in Syria. After we went to Kurdistan.

After I arrived in Kurdistan I went to a camp. I was there two years. Then I came here.

I’d like it to always be sunny because I dislike the cold. In my future I’d like to complete my studies and have work and always stay in one country.

I’d like to be a football player but I think it’s impossible. 
I’d like to go to the UK to visit and be free in my life.