Movement on the Ground Lesvos

I am happy to say I will be joining Movement on the Ground in its important work assisting and supporting refugees on the Greek island of Lesvos from September to December. MOTG has been active on Lesvos for years and currently runs – among other things - a community center, football program, digital learning lab, and food truck in Kara Tepe camp on the island. They are also in the process of expanding their activities to support the growing number of people living outside Moria camp (perhaps the most infamous refugee camp in Europe) in an area known as the "Olive Groves." Central to MOTG’s work is the belief in involving camp residents in all stages of their activities and supporting the local economy whenever possible to make sure both communities are engaged and invested in their projects.

Besides dedicated staff and volunteers, Movement on the Ground is also highly dependent on donations to fund its crucial work. Before I go to join them in September I am therefore trying to raise funds to support the organization's expanding activities. My initial goal is 300 euros (but I hope we'll be able to surpass this and raise more!).

I was initially very hesitant reaching out to everyone like this (this is my first time fundraising within my own network like this), but I really believe in the work Movement of the Ground does and hope you will support it with however much you can spare.

Anything you are able to give will make a big difference in the lives of the people living in these camps and hopefully make their time there a little more bearable while they wait to figure out when (or whether) they will be able to move on to give themselves and their families a safer future.

Please also share this if you think anyone in your own network might be interested in donating.

To read more about Movement on the Ground, please visit: http://movementontheground.com/

If you would like more information on the conditions on Lesvos (especially following the EU-Turkey deal), here are a few links: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/world/europe/greece-lesbos-migrant-crisis-moria.html , https://helprefugees.org/news/lesvos-january-2018/ , https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/03/09/589973165/europe-does-not-see-us-as-human-stranded-refugees-struggle-in-greece?t=1533152451046