The Best Way to Meet Urgent Needs this World Refugee Week
We know you want to help refugees. But do you know how to do so most effectively? Announcing the NeedsList beta platform where you can directly meet urgent needs while supporting local economies.
Three Urgent Needs for Refugees in Greece
For World Refugee Day, NeedsList is highlighting three urgent needs for refugees in Greece.
The situation on Chios is dire where overcrowding, uncertainty, and new arrivals are increasingly resulting in violence and unrest according to The Guardian. The warehouse manager from NeedsList partner, A Drop in the Ocean, reports that the Souda camp is the worst she has ever seen. The warehouse is running on empty while refugees are barefoot or wearing broken flipflops. This week on NeedsList, you can:
- Buy shoes for refugees on the Greek island of Chios at under twenty dollars a pair. These come from TerraMare, Athens-based sporting goods supplier and will be delivered within three to five days of purchase.
- Buy cloth sanitary napkins available from LunaPads to be distributed on Chios & throughout Greece by the U.S. non-profit The Unmentionables.
- Buy diapers for babies in the Oinofyta refugee camp managed by Do Your Part. These come from ToyWorld, a Greek baby supply company and will be delivered within 48 hours of purchase.
Two dozen non-profits in private beta
Beginning this week, dozens of non-profit organizations serving refugees will also be testing NeedsList as part of our private beta, sharing lists of supply, volunteer, and financial needs with their donor bases. These lists will be publicly available through the platform in a searchable database in July.
Participating organizations range from charities providing direct aid such as the InterEuropean Humanitarian Aid Association active in Greece and Serbia and L’auberge des migrants in Calais, non-profits specializing in resettlement like the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) in Philadelphia, and charities focused on women and children such as Amurtel in Greece. Needs range from SIM cards to blankets, translation to musical instruments.
Want to get started? Check out NeedsList and sign up to receive notifications of more urgent needs.
