Autor: Starfish

Our partner Starfish opened a few months ago a multilingual library in the Mavovrouni camp.

More than 700 books are available in ten languages and on different themes. Novels, language learning books, comics, dictionaries and short stories are stored on the shelves, allowing to meet the needs of the camp residents.

In addition to the cultural dimension, the library is designed to be a friendly place to meet people and have a good time. Activities for children are organized throughout the week, such as handicrafts, coloring, beads, board games, and movie screenings.

Culture and recreation are essential needs for all of us, it is crucial that they are accessible in the camp as well.

Last Saturday 28 May, a fire broke out in the Mavrovouni camp in Lesvos. It was quickly brought under control by the fire service and fortunately no one was injured!

The origin of the fire we have been informed was an electrical fault of which the infrastructure to the bigh rub halls were not designed to support and  the Greek summer heat does not help. One large Rub hall was totally destroyed and another partially damaged. Dozens of men who lived in these tents lost all their belongings in the flames.

This unfortunate incident shows us that the people living in the camp are exposed to permanent insecurity, especially with the high summer heat. Our thoughts go out to the victims of this incident!

Since last September, many residents have left the camp. At the moment, the camp hosts about 1400 people, mainly Afghans and Somalis. Despite the military crackdowns, many boats continue to arrive on the island, and the camp is being reorganized to reunite families and create more suitable spaces for the current population.

For 1 month now, the restrictions linked to the Covid-19 have been lifted : the mask is no longer mandatory inside the camp.

Our partner Starfish Foundation is now organizing bike rides for all, and wishes to promote social integration and the benefits of cycling for people and the environment.

A few weeks ago, they co-organised their first bicycle event in collaboration with the associations Yoga and Sport With Refugees and MakerSpace. It was a 15km bike ride through the countryside of Mytilini. The group went through the mountains, the town of Moria and many other places. 19 people cycled including some of their volunteers. Snacks and bottles of water were available, and hot food was donated by Zaporiak. Requests have already been made for Starfish Foundation to repeat this excursion, and they are very happy to organize some more in the future, especially with this nice spring weather on Lesvos Island !