Day 24

A soup for a person fleeing at the borders of Europe

Soup, socks and solidarity!

Providing care for people on the run

A good meal is half the battle! The most important thing when handing out food - apart from good food - is a good atmosphere. That's why we always have music with us in the two public squares in Athens where we distribute around 1,000 meals to refugees a day in December and January 2016. We serve soup and water to the pleasant tunes. The most important Arabic word that we learned on our first mission with Soup&Socks is saf. This means something like 'row' or 'queue'. With a cheerful "Saf, saf, saf!" we explain across the language barrier that everyone has to line up equally to be able to collect soup, hummus sandwiches and water. Many of the people we meet have been waiting in Athens for days and weeks, some without shelter or access to sanitary facilities. Due to the border closures along the Balkan route, people who do not come from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan have not been able to continue their escape route since January 2016. There is no prospect for them; there is no way forward or back.

need

Providing food to people on the run.

activity

The Soup&Socks team prepares hot meals in a mobile field kitchen and distributes them to people on the run.

Measurable performance

After 7 months, we have implemented 2 missions and provided more than 40,000 meals for refugees.

Result

Providing meals maintains the health of refugees. Encounters create understanding and trust.

Systemically relevant impact

Understanding and trust promote the integration of those seeking protection. The impressions we pass on raise awareness of the situation in Germany.

background

In 2015, over 1.1 million people arrived in Europe by sea in search of protection and decent living conditions. Greece was the main destination for refugees due to its geographical location. According to UNHCR, 3,700 people were reported missing in 2015 and presumed to have drowned (UNHCR 2016).

Even in 2017, the Greek government alone cannot cope with the care of refugees in Greece. After the borders along the Balkan route were closed, more than 50,000 people are stuck here. They live in camps and in public places without protection from the weather conditions and without access to sanitary facilities (Pro Asyl 2016).

Not only the refugees, but also Greeks are left to deal with the challenges alone. According to the European Commission, these conditions at Europe's external borders require immediate action (EU Commission 2016). So far, the refugees have largely been cared for by voluntary supporters from all over the world.

The good deed

Soup&Socks is an association of young adults who support refugees at the borders of Europe. In a mobile soup kitchen, we prepare hot meals and distribute them along with clothing to refugees, but also to people from the local population. With our efforts, we show solidarity in the face of the devastating situation at the European borders and offer practical support where state structures are not sufficient to provide for everyone. In this way, we contribute to preserving the dignity of individuals, to their health, to an encounter between the local population and the refugees, and thus in the long term to understanding and integration.