Paréa means ‘circle of friends’ or ‘society’ in Greek. The sense of belonging that you feel among friends is lost for many people on the run. They have left their homeland (for very different reasons) and have been on the run for weeks or sometimes months, with an uncertain outcome. They do not feel welcome in Europe and often lack the most basic necessities in the refugee camps.
Project visit to the Paréa Centre – a safe place for refugees
At the Paréa Center, a community centre within walking distance of the Mavrovouni camp on Lesvos, 11 aid organisations are making sure that people feel this way again. Europe Cares, which runs the Paréa Centre, offers a hot meal, Leavenoonebehind provides a laundry service and people can have their bicycles repaired at Makerspace Lesvos. People can also leave their dreary everyday lives behind them for a few hours with a game of chess, a round of table football or in the vegetable garden.
STELP primarily supports Europe Cares in financing the rent for the centre and Leavenoonebehind in finding volunteers. Joelle and Sina take you with them in the video and show you what a typical project visit on site looks like.
Even though the situation in Greece has been known for years and the media focus has not been on the Greek islands for a long time, one thing is certain: support from aid organisations such as our local partners is still urgently needed. We must not forget the people there!
