Mindful service: Help us support refugees in Greece!
Fundraising campaign by
Francie Missbach
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€4,140.00raised of €2,750.00 goal goal
Campaign Story
Thanks to your generous donations, we reached our initial goal and are now crowdfunding for phase two of the project!
Help us reach our new goal of 200%!
The funds raised will be overseen by a committee consisting of members of our community of mindful volunteers. Together, we have been envisioning long-term projects which will have positive and sustainable impacts upon the well-being of the most vulnerable populations in Greece.
More exiting news:
Our Wake Up Athens Sangha is offering a 4 day New Years Retreat in Greece, and we wish to pioneer a groundbreaking retreat in which we will host Greek friends, refugees from Syria and Senegal, as well as international volunteers.
We are inviting those from different cultural and spiritual backgrounds to co-create activities with us, as we welcome the new year with meditation, reflection, art, dance, nature, and cross-cultural learning... all in the spirit of mindfulness and building our beloved community.
To make this possible, we are asking for your help to provide a few full scholarships for the refugees’ accommodations and travel expenses, as well as partial scholarships for Greeks and volunteers.
Thank you for co-creating a beautiful world with us!
Yasas!
We are a group of 15 international friends practicing mindfulness, who met in Plum Village mindfulness center in the summer, and share the common aspiration to cultivate peace in the world by bringing our presence, thoughtfulness and care to every interaction. We felt a strong calling to come to Athens together in order to listen and learn, and to offer our support and compassion to a country that currently faces both a refugee and an economic crisis.
We know that for us to truly be of service we need to take time to better understand the situation as it is on the ground. In order to do this, we have chosen to engage within various organisations and projects in whatever capacities best fit our individual and collective skills. For example:
- Zara and Romy are working as art teachers in Eleonas Camp
- Philippe and Dermot are working as physiotherapists at Doc Mobile
- Leonie lives and works in Athens for two years already, supporting refugees in various ways
- Vanessa, Peter, and David are working at Love and Serve without Boundaries
- Dermot, Mercia, and others are cooking food and distributing clothes in Hope Cafe
- Maarten is working on Not a Factory, a long term project to empower and employ refugees
- Sebastian and David have been serving food to the poor and homeless with Refugees´ Refuge
- Barry is helping with renovation in a community centre called Khora
- Dylan works also at Khora as legal support
- Matthias is helping community building
- David, Francie and Dermot are offering mindfulness workshops
- And we are all helping to build the Wake Up Athens mindfulness community
How do we do all these things without burning out?
How do we ensure that we stay mentally healthy and strong?
Living together in a harmonious and mindful community provides us with the energy, support, and love we need to face our everyday challenges. We co-create a space to meditate together, to share our difficulties as well as our joys, and to cultivate happiness and insight. And it is just so nice to come home after a long day and having someone prepare dinner for you and welcome you with a hug! :D
In order to make all this possible, we need your support!
Where will your money go to?
- During our initial stay of up to four months, we are able to finance most of the travel and living costs ourselves. However, we need your help with part of the rent! (€1850)
- We wish to offer material support to the organisations* we closely partner with in the form of donations of, among other things, food and kitchen equipment. (€550)
- We also have a deep aspiration to grow the Wake Up Athens mindfulness community, through which we are able to offer a safe refuge to others in weekly meditation meetings. For this, we aspire to create a project where we partner with refugees to custom make the meditation cushions that we need. (€350)
Any additional funds raised will be taken care of by a committee overseen by our entire community of mindful volunteers. Together, we have been envisioning long-term projects which will have positive and sustainable impacts upon the well-being of the most vulnerable populations in Greece. We have found that providing fair and ethical sources of livelihood is crucial for helping refugees to get back on their feet and re-establish their lives. Therefore, we are already enthusiastically laying the groundwork for social enterprise projects that will employ and empower people in need. Your financial backing will greatly support us to realize this!
Stay tuned, as this is only phase one of the project... :D
Thank you! Efharistume! Merci! Grazie! Gracias! Danke! Bedankt!
Rewards
25 kg potatoes to one of our partner organisations
25 kg of rice to one of our partner organisations
One meditation cushion for the Wake Up Athens Sangha
Accomodation for one person in need for the Wake Up Athens New Years Retreat
2 weeks accomodation for a volunteer
A new kitchen sink for our partner organisation
2 months accomodation for a volunteer
Fundraising Team
- Francie Missbach
- Campaign Owner
- Barry Wright
- Campaign Owner
Donors
- esbilla samson
- Donated on Dec 28, 2017
ihr seid vorbildlich für uns alle. danke. <3
- David Percival
- Donated on Dec 27, 2017
Great work, David!
We need your help to continue our loving work in Athens!
Update posted by Francie Missbach at 11:00 amDear Friends,Everyday we see and feel how relevant the work is we are doing here, and how beautiful and nourishing the relationships are that we are building - for both sides! We do not want to lose momentum now but capitalise on the insights and experiences we have already gained.. . . . .
Thank you so much! And: What your funds have been doing so far
Update posted by Francie Missbach at 02:16 pmDear friends and donors!Thank you so much for your inspiring and heart-warming generosity! With your help, we were able to reach our initial crowdfunding goal within only one week! This immense amount of positive feedback is a big motivation for us, and shows not only how much support we have. . . . .
Donors & Comments
- Pauline Withers
- Donated on Dec 29, 2017
Thanks for all you are doing. Mike & Pauline Withers
- esbilla samson
- Donated on Dec 28, 2017
ihr seid vorbildlich für uns alle. danke. <3
- David Percival
- Donated on Dec 27, 2017
Great work, David!
- Anne Woods
- Donated on Dec 25, 2017
Your work is inspiring, please continue to share what you are doing on OI Community!
- Guido Franzen
- Donated on Dec 25, 2017
Wake Up Energy for Athens and Refugees, unbelievable you're making this happen! May this project flower and blossom, reaching out to many desperate hearts! :)
- Holly Bondy
- Donated on Dec 24, 2017
- Anonymous
- Donated on Dec 24, 2017
thank you for doing this!
- Elli & Rob Walshbaum
- Donated on Dec 23, 2017
Thank you for this beautiful offering
- Ingetje Wielenga
- Donated on Dec 21, 2017
- Karin & Victor Addis Sangha
- Donated on Dec 21, 2017
Very nice initiative and inspiring to see the sangha approach. Love from the Addis Abeba sangha 😀
Thanks for all you are doing. Mike & Pauline Withers