“We are happy when others are interested in the situation here!” - Article by Cologne Cares
Samos, October 2024.
This article was originally written in German by Gabi Klein on behalf of Cologne Cares.
While at the European level, the topic of asylum is being discussed with a focus on isolation or even suspension, others are focusing on solidarity. An outstanding example of this is the initiative "Samos Volunteers." Since its founding in 2016, this grassroots organisation has supported refugees on the Greek island of Samos with psychological support, informal education, and clothing donations.
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Choose Your Warmth 2024 Campaign: Warehouse Mini-Documentary
We have launched our Choose Your Warmth 2024 Campaign targeted to allow us to cover our costs while operating our highly needed winter clothes distribution to the island's displaced communities. Watch our Warehouse Mini-Documentary to see how the team prepared for winter distribution.
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NGO Calls for Government Accountability in Supporting Displaced Communities on Samos, Greece
The lack of human rights provisions and material reception conditions provided by Greek authorities to newly arrived residents of the closed-controlled access centre is overburdening local NGOs. The pressure to fulfill these crucial needs and the vital dignity of people seeking protection is unjust, and the EU Commission must hold Greek authorities accountable.
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Twenty Years of Frontex: Promoting Border (Un)Safety?
As Frontex marks its 20th anniversary, we reflect on its role in European border management. Once established to promote cooperation and enhance border security, Frontex has since faced serious allegations of human rights violations, including its involvement in pushbacks and border violence in the Mediterranean and Aegean. But how did we get to this point?
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"As if we were their friend, and not refugees": Hesham's essay
Hesham, from Yemen, is a resident of the CCAC and a community volunteer. He has been on Samos for three months and has been attending our English classes for two months, now. He has been excelling in our English classes, currently at our highest level of English, and recently wrote this essay about his experience coming to Samos.
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“We feel in prison on the island” - Artworks from Amnesty Report on Samos Refugee Camp
An online exhibition of the voices and artworks of residents at the Samos CCAC, featured in the latest Amnesty investigative report on the inhumane living conditions in the EU-funded refugee camp.
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‘Cat and Dog and Sky and Wind’
What is a word? A carrier bag for meaning? A little boat on a broad sea? Is a word just an image or the thing itself? Do words think? Do they feel? Why do some words have two meanings? Why do other words have three? Line up enough words in a row and you have a sentence. String together a few of these and you have a paragraph. Carve away at your paragraph with a chisel and knife and you get a poem.
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'Chosen Families'
One of our invaluable external volunteers Casey reflects on his time working with Samos Volunteers in a blog post that is well worth a read. Casey has added so much to the team while he has been on Samos, whether that was in the warehouse, in our community spaces or specifically, in his great work with our LGBTQIA+ group.
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‘It’s Ahmed’, a short film by Ahmed and Andres
Ahmed is from Palestine and joined Samos Volunteers as a community volunteer a few months ago. Andres is from Colombia and joined a little later as an external volunteer. They decided to document Ahmed's story, resulting in a beautiful and moving short film: ‘It’s Ahmed’.
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