Standing with Refugees

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Meerfez is 25 and lives in Filippiada camp with his wife. Left with no choice and under tragic circumstances, he left Afghanistan in 2015 and is trying to reach his brother in Germany.

With great calm and dignity, Meerfez describes an epic journey but frustration at being held in Greece while his brother, who is just 17, is struggling in Germany on his own.

Living conditions in Filippiada are quite good, and much better than on the islands, but he wants his whole family to be together. And yet he waits…

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

Austin is aged 20 from the USA and Sue is 68 from the UK, but they are both united by a desire to put others first. They are fantastic volunteers who have given up their time and energy to help refugees in Greece and do the important job of co-ordinating our other volunteers’ activities on the camps.

They talk about what motivated them to come and to come back (5 times in Sue’s case!), what they like about the job and what is tough.

Volunteering with the right attitude is extremely rewarding. It’s about putting others first, staying cheerful and showing empathy not just for what refugees have to endure but for our fellow volunteers.

Please listen to these 2 fine humans and celebrate our unity in diversity.

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

Mimi started helping refugees in Europe two years ago and in that time she and her organisation Soup & Socks have had to adapt and change what they do. They started with a community kitchen on camp that got shut down by the army so they evolved their project into something more sustainable. This is where Habibi Works was born.

We think it is the best volunteer-run project in Greece. It is a fantastic case study in learning, trying new things and creating something truly special. At the heart of it is a desire to create something genuinely empowering.

“Everything we do is about empowerment. We don’t want people to depend on us, we don’t want them to be passive. We want them to be active, we want them to create solutions for their daily life challenges themselves.“

A conversation with someone inspirational and lessons for anyone from volunteer on the ground to the manager of a large organisation.

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

For this week’s podcast, we welcomed Dina Nayeri to the microphone for one of our most animated and illuminating podcasts yet. Author, teacher, child refugee and good friend of Refugee Support, Dina and Paul discuss the weight of the ‘debt’ and gratitude often attached to refugees who attain asylum; and how we can lighten this burden through dignified, respectful, and catch free aid.

A delight to talk to, Dina – who recently published a controversial article in the Guardian, The ungrateful refugee – shares her passion and perspective on our fundamental responsibility as human beings to help one another. This is a conversation that’ll challenge the way that you think for the better, so make sure you tune in.

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

For this weeks’ podcast, Paul spoke to Vickie Hawkins, the executive director of Medecins sans Frontieres UK (MSF). Like us, MSF is fighting to provide critical support in Bangladesh.

In a fascinating conversation about ethics, values and the importance of humanity as the most powerful force for good and change, Paul and Vickie discuss the difficulty of making huge decisions with finite resources, and the pressure of prioritizing aid when so much is needed.

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

For this weeks’ podcast, we talked to Refugee Support co-founder, John Sloan, about how to get started in an enormous humanitarian crisis. John and Paul founded Refugee Support two years’ ago, and have started out more than once in chaos with little more than a dream to offer aid with dignity.

Having just returned from two weeks in Bangladesh, getting started with a brilliant team to offer aid to Tumbru Camp, John shares his insight into what it’s like to face crisis with a cool head, but a determined heart.

Next week, Paul will be talking to Vickie Hawkins, the executive director of Medecins sans Frontieres UK.

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

Abdul-Salam’s family had to escape from Deir ez-Zur after ISIL laid seige to it and made life impossible. He describes what that was like and the perilous, life-threatening journey they made. Despite these horrors, this family is still cheerful, optimistic and proud. Their resilience is inspirational.

“Our request is not impossible. We want medical care and education. We want peace, security and stability. Like other people. And we want to go back to Syria and to live in peace.”

Help Refugee Support Europe

We rely on donations for everything we do and need your help, however small.

John Sloan talks to Daniel Mendies about his journey into humanitarian work from Nepal to Afghanistan to Greece to Bangladesh. It is in the genes and he started young!

Daniel is pivotal to our work supporting the Rohingya in Bangladesh so talks about why aid with dignity and co-operation is so important.

We also learn about the importance of holding your head high!