OpenRefuge Updates From Greece
We recently got back from another week in Greece. The situation continues to shift and change while also staying the same in many ways. Funding continues to dry up as the media turns its attention to other crisis. This has some organizations and communities in full panic mode while others are turning to self-organizing infrastructure. For OpenRefuge to make the positive impact we have imagined, we will need to be more creative in how we engage the situation. Fortunately, we made the right connections to help us do just that.
Our Friend Amie
Many of you know the story of our friend Amie. He is a friend living as a refugee from Syria. While in Syria he was captured and tortured by both the Syrian government and ISIS because he refused to fight for either side. He was suffering from severe PTSD the first time we met him in February. In May we were able to help him secure housing which gave him a sense of stability. In August he received his papers and was able to get his Greek passport this month. But his most cherished accomplishment this year was being baptized. He is now actively seeking to learn English and Greek while looking for a job.
Wheelchair For Nasxat
While we were in Athens this past September, Rita told our team about a family she had just met who had a disabled 18 year old son named Nasxat. Amid violence and chaos, Nasxat was paralyzed in his home country by an American tank. After Nasxat’s health was stabilized, the family made the tough decision to flee from their country with the hope of finding security and opportunity elsewhere. However, when Nasxat’s family was smuggled out of his country, they were forced to leave his wheelchair behind. Nasxat has since been living in Greece without a wheelchair — lying/sleeping on improper surfaces and only able to go outside when his father would tie him onto his back. No one should have to live like this!
So our team got to work… and with the help of the OpenRefuge community of supporters we were able to raise enough money to buy Nasxat a new wheelchair. He now has the new wheelchair and Rita told us, “he was crying with joy when he received the new chair.” Thank you for all who gave.
Housing Assistance Program
Our housing assistance program is going well. We currently have three units that house seven adults and seven children. In addition to Amie, we are hosting a two women whose husbands have been resettled. They are hoping to join them within the next year. Another woman joining them discovered after arriving from her long and dangerous trip out of Syria that her husband had remarried. This left her without a place to stay or people she knew. Thankfully the other two women welcomed her and she is doing as well as can be expected. A married couple and their nephew live in our third unit. Each are grateful for the provision. The husband is suffering some depression and likely PTSD but the wife is doing well.
It’s getting cold in Greece and each of our friends and units are in need of winter essentials, including winter quilts, coats, and socks. Also, homes in Greece rarely have the HVAC units that we are use to here. So we are in need of heaters as well. We would all be incredibly grateful if you would help to meet these needs. To donate click here.
Networking And Meeting New Friends
Several of our friends living as refugees had resettled in Germany and other places between May and September so we knew we were going to need to do some networking. And fortunately we were able to do so. We met an amazing woman named Sahar who originally came to Greece seventeen years ago as a refugee. She now organizes medical clinics for refugee and is working to help us with a dental clinic this winter or next spring. In addition to Sahar, we met a new friend named Kameer. Kameer helps lead a local solidarity group that serves refugees in one of the many squats in Greece. Among the many great things he is doing, he is now helping us to secure a mobile dental bus to make dental work more available for the children. His passion, organization, and story are incredibly inspiring. I hope to share more of it later. And finally, we met a couple that runs an innovative startup coworking community in Athens. They are truly making things happen. We are in continuing conversations of how we can partner together to meet each of our goals over the next 12 months. I look forward to sharing more of this as things finalize.
Manni Has Been Reunited With His Dad!
We continue to work on finding a hospital and/or doctor to work with Manni and, though many leads gone cold, we feel that we may have found the one! So PLEASE say a prayer, send good vibes, and do a happy dance!! Manni has been reunited with his father and is currently in Berlin, Germany. For this we are thankful! Unfortunately, the transition has been very difficult. According to his mother, many kids in his new school have been making fun of him, calling him a monster. For this reason, among many others, we are very hopeful this new lead works out. We hope to have a further update in the near future! In the meantime, you can read his story here.
Check Out Our NEW Website!
Check out our NEW website and be sure to subscribe (bottom or bottom right corner of the page) for our latest updates! We have lots of things happening and look forward to sharing.
