GISW for refugees in Greece
Donation protected
The main mission of Northern Lights Aid is to provide material support, to ensure the basic living needs as well as the psychosocial well-being of the residents of the Perigiali Camp, the NGO also aims to promote social inclusion and solidarity in the wider community and across Europe.
About Northern Lights Aid
Northern Lights Aid is a greek NGO, working to implement social humanitarian activities of International Protection for Migration and Social Inclusion. It was founded on Lesvos in January 2016, in response to the emerging humanitarian crisis. Initially, the NGO was created to provide emergency aid to first arrivals on the island. Since 2017, Northern Lights Aid is working near the Perigiali Refugee Camp, in Kavala, close to the border of Turkey. Watch our intro video from 2018 here
The Perigiali Camp
The Perigiali Camp is located in Northern Greece, in the City of Kavala. It was created at a military base and initially hosted around 500 refugees. In 2019, 74,613 refugees arrived in Greece. 80% of them arrived on the Greek Islands, to camps four times overcapacity. As a result the number of residents in the Kavala camp also doubled. NLA decided to expand its operations, by opening additional English classes and providing material support to the now 1,000 camp residents. Among the current camp population, the majority are from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria and more than half are children under the age of 18. Among the residents, about 450 are women or young girls.
NLA PROJECTS
The Free Clothing Store
NLA operates a free clothing store, where families can find clothing, footwear, and homeware items they need. Particularly new arrivals often lack appropriate clothing and shoes. Rather than simply distributing donations, the store allows the beneficiaries to make free choices according to their personal taste and needs. Watch a video here
The Mother-Baby Programme
The Mother and Baby Program, also called Baby Store, offers hygiene items (like diapers and wet wipes), clothing, and emotional support to young families in the camp. New births are celebrated with a box of useful supplies. The program also offers creative activities and a calm, friendly environment, where mothers can relax and socialize. See how it works here
The English Programme
English classes are delivered in the NLA classroom across four proficiency levels. Separated by gender, they are over-viewed by a trained teacher. During the pandemic, we moved to online teaching and distributed homework books in the camp. Here is how it works!
The Creative Workshop
Life in the camp can be long and mundane but many of the camp residents are extremely skilled and resourceful. At the workshop they can use these skills and access a variety of tools and equipment. Among the most popular tools are our sewing machines! These can be taken home or used during workshop opening hours. At least once a week NLA proposes are crafty activity - jewelry-making, painting weaving etc. - for mothers of hour mother-baby program and the younger residents of the camp. In response to the public health challenge, we started to make face masks using fabric from unwanted clothes in our store. With the helping hands of camp residents and volunteers, we manage to sew enough masks to make sure everyone in the camp stays safe - all from our own design! VIDEO
The Emergency Relief Program
Through the emergency relief program, NLA supports particularly vulnerable cases and families with particularly few financial resources. This includes organizing and financing transport to the asylum offices, as public transport is (due to the pandemic) limited and expensive and to avoid families missing appointments essential to their asylum procedure. It also includes providing essential medicine and food packages to newly arrived families or those that have lost their cash support.
To learn more about Northern Lights Aid visit: instagram.com/northernlightsaid
or watch our documentary from 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBB8QCI0f2E&t=15s&ab_channel=NorthernLightsAID
About Northern Lights Aid
Northern Lights Aid is a greek NGO, working to implement social humanitarian activities of International Protection for Migration and Social Inclusion. It was founded on Lesvos in January 2016, in response to the emerging humanitarian crisis. Initially, the NGO was created to provide emergency aid to first arrivals on the island. Since 2017, Northern Lights Aid is working near the Perigiali Refugee Camp, in Kavala, close to the border of Turkey. Watch our intro video from 2018 here
The Perigiali Camp
The Perigiali Camp is located in Northern Greece, in the City of Kavala. It was created at a military base and initially hosted around 500 refugees. In 2019, 74,613 refugees arrived in Greece. 80% of them arrived on the Greek Islands, to camps four times overcapacity. As a result the number of residents in the Kavala camp also doubled. NLA decided to expand its operations, by opening additional English classes and providing material support to the now 1,000 camp residents. Among the current camp population, the majority are from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria and more than half are children under the age of 18. Among the residents, about 450 are women or young girls.
NLA PROJECTS
The Free Clothing Store
NLA operates a free clothing store, where families can find clothing, footwear, and homeware items they need. Particularly new arrivals often lack appropriate clothing and shoes. Rather than simply distributing donations, the store allows the beneficiaries to make free choices according to their personal taste and needs. Watch a video here
The Mother-Baby Programme
The Mother and Baby Program, also called Baby Store, offers hygiene items (like diapers and wet wipes), clothing, and emotional support to young families in the camp. New births are celebrated with a box of useful supplies. The program also offers creative activities and a calm, friendly environment, where mothers can relax and socialize. See how it works here
The English Programme
English classes are delivered in the NLA classroom across four proficiency levels. Separated by gender, they are over-viewed by a trained teacher. During the pandemic, we moved to online teaching and distributed homework books in the camp. Here is how it works!
The Creative Workshop
Life in the camp can be long and mundane but many of the camp residents are extremely skilled and resourceful. At the workshop they can use these skills and access a variety of tools and equipment. Among the most popular tools are our sewing machines! These can be taken home or used during workshop opening hours. At least once a week NLA proposes are crafty activity - jewelry-making, painting weaving etc. - for mothers of hour mother-baby program and the younger residents of the camp. In response to the public health challenge, we started to make face masks using fabric from unwanted clothes in our store. With the helping hands of camp residents and volunteers, we manage to sew enough masks to make sure everyone in the camp stays safe - all from our own design! VIDEO
The Emergency Relief Program
Through the emergency relief program, NLA supports particularly vulnerable cases and families with particularly few financial resources. This includes organizing and financing transport to the asylum offices, as public transport is (due to the pandemic) limited and expensive and to avoid families missing appointments essential to their asylum procedure. It also includes providing essential medicine and food packages to newly arrived families or those that have lost their cash support.
To learn more about Northern Lights Aid visit: instagram.com/northernlightsaid
or watch our documentary from 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBB8QCI0f2E&t=15s&ab_channel=NorthernLightsAID
Co-organizers (13)
Northern Lights Aid
Organizer
Berlin, Berlin
Class 10a
Co-organizer
Class 9a
Co-organizer
Class 9b
Co-organizer
Class 6b
Co-organizer