Since the beginning of this year, bagforeveryone has been part of the “Impact Hub” community in Zurich. On May 12th, the community opened its doors in District 5 with the “Open Hub Day.” We were there and introduced our two new products: the bagforeveryone backpack and the belly bag.
Impact Hub: Part of Social Economy
A benefactor has provided us with a workspace within the “Social Economy” community for six months. This has integrated us into a community where we can meet in an officially peaceful place. Additionally, we find like-minded individuals in the community, providing us with an opportunity for exchange to make an impact on social coexistence on this planet. Social Economy encompasses business philosophies based on an anthropological approach, with the belief that the outcome of a company should support people and promote social coexistence.
New Perspective on Lesbos with bagforeveryone Tailoring
Our project, “bagforeveryone,” accomplishes this by offering opportunities for refugees to become part of the Community House run by our partner, the Starfish Foundation, and benefit from its services and activities. The vision behind this is to welcome people after a long journey and take the first step towards integration into the European community.
They have finally arrived! In addition to the shopper bag, we now have the bagforeveryone backpack and belly bag in our board of range. Just like the shopper bag, both of these products are made of vegan suede* and come in six different colors (gold, olive, blue, red, beige, dark brown). They are washable and water-resistant, featuring a zipper closure. The interior lining is made of linen and includes multiple inner pockets.
The backpack
I am your friend for shopping. Whether it’s your laptop, your beach towel, or your bikini, I carry everything for you.
Whilst I was in Lesvos, I met a young Afghan refugee named Sara who had the idea to make bags from leftover donated clothes and fabrics. I brought her idea to the women’s shelter where I was working at the time, and together with Sara, we worked on the project until I had to return home to Switzerland. It was there that the bags caught up with me again.
We would like to wish all our supporters warm greetings from our team here on Lesvos and in Zurich as the new year beginns. We hope you are all well despite another year full of challenges. Our sewing project had a slow start to the year with the Greek lockdown until June meaning we only had a half a year of classes but, despite this, we have been delighted with the support we have received and our workshop has been busy over the last few months ensuring all your wonderful orders are met.
Update on Mavrovouni Camp
The end of the year has seen significant further changes inside the refugee camp where Lesvos refugees live. The best of all are that, after so many years of hygienic issues and he stay in tents, finally new containers with toilets and hot water showers connected to the municipal water supply were put in place across numerous sites in the camp. Also, all those residents who were living in tents have been moved into improved Refugee Housing Units (RHUs) over the past few weeks. This move did not prevent many individuals living in tents during extremely cold weather of the beginning and middle of December.
Finally we showers with warm wather and houses insteat of tents. Photo: Kevin Schenk, Starfish Foundation
Pope Francis visits the camp
At the start of December, Pope Francis paid a visit to the residents of the camp and delivered a strong message to European countries;
Pope Francis arrives at a camp for refugees in Moria, on the Greek island of Lesvos. Photo: EPA/O.Panagiotou
We are living in the era of barbed wire and walls…please let us stop this shipwreck of civilization!”.
Pope Francis
Over all the camp population has continued to decrease to a total of 1831 as of as 17th December. Asylum applications continue to be issued at a faster pace and individuals then move either to the Greek mainland or further into Central Europe with the hope of applying for Asylum again in that country.
Aegean Sea Crossings: The week before Christmas 31 deaths and 3 shipwrecks
Sadly, we also need to report the tragic recent events in the Aegean sea which illustrate just how many people are still attempting to reach Greece and how the Coast Guard are handling the situation. According to figures from the Aegean Boat Report, the week before Christmas was the most deadly week of the year with 31 deaths and 3 shipwrecks, including one near the island of Paros where 16 deaths have so far been confirmed from the 88 on board. Overall during this week, there were 51 attempted crossings with 1201 people, of which 39 were stopped from reaching their intended destination.
News in the Sewery
We have been working hard on some exciting developments to expand our range of bags on offer to our supporters. Tila, one of our sewing teachers, has done some great work to design a few new bags to test and we are now experimenting with these samples to see if they can be added to our product range in 2022. They will allow us create a wider range and more affordable selection of products whilst reaching a new audience and supporting students at our classes to learn the sewing of new products.
New product in progress. Photo: Kevin Schenk, Starfish Foundation
Since our Media Manager, Beth, finished her six months of much appreciated work and left our team to go back home, we are forming our new team on Lesvos. There will be an update in the upcoming week. This newblog will give a monthly update about the situation in Lesvos, political developments, the effects on the refugees as well as the locals on the island, and also news about the sewery. Because of the named reasons we will give a late update for october, we still think there are lots of stories we want to share:
After heat follows a heavy rain
It has been another busy few months here amongst the refugee community here on Lesvos and in Mavrovouni refugee camp. As is typical in the refugee environment, every week sees new developments and those of late have been no different. Here is a summary of the latest activity. After the extreme heat of August, Autumn made an early and abrupt entrance with torrential rain and thunderstorms for a number of days in the middle of October. It is these weather extremes which expose the vulnerabilities of the refugees living in very basic tents and containers. Thankfully, the new drainage channels built in the camp prevented any serious flooding, something which caused really problems at the Samos refugee camp.
After the enormous heat, refugees have to face heavy rain, that floats the tents.
Global Handwashing Day and another Fire
In the name of the Global Handwashing Day on 15th October, our partners Starfish Foundation and a group of NGO’s in the camp, held activities to promote the day dedicated to promotion and awareness of washing hands with soap. Alongside a busy safehands washing station, other activities included education, art and sports for children and distribution of adults and children’s masks, soap and hand sanitiser. The participants enjoyed the activities on offer and also learned about the hygienic aspect of washing hands.
The hygienic aspect in Mavrovouni refugee camp is life saveing
The children playfully learned.
At the same time, refugees had to experience the outbreak of a fire in camp.The fire took place in the single mens rubhall tents; thankfully it was extinguished before expanding much more but it brought back many memories of the devastating events of Moria last year. It happened inthe same week of October as the heavy rain broke out.
Despite the fire, our helpers gave their best to support our Partner Starfish Foundation with their Project #SafeHands
Facts of the Mavrovouni camp
Lastly, here are some numbers to give you a sense of scale here at Mavrovouni camp:
The total population in the camp stands at 2651 which is almost one third made up of children.
Only about half of the adult refugees, 1273, have been fully vaccinated against Covid19.
Our main goal was to empower the women, those who belong to the most vulnerable groups on the island. Since many refugees bring the skill to sew, this led to a young refugee man suggesting the idea to create bags. Soon after two very talented Ghanaian individuals created our first design and it was at this point we realised that the best thing to do was to open our workshops for everyone, no matter of their sewing experience, sex or background. We are happy to welcome our first male workshop participants: Two Afghans joined our classes.They have worked hard and learnt quickly allowing them to start producing the shopper bags whilst also enjoying the social aspect of regular classes together.
Something new to try and to learn.
The bagforeveryone project gives a new perspective.
Get a sustainable bag
The sustainable vegan leather is sourced locally in Greece and are perfect for the colder Winter months: they are made from material that can resist snow and rain easily. Besides that: Would it not be a perfect gift to give someone for christmas? Choose the present for your loved one by going to the shop.
This is what we do
Our partner starfish foundation provides different courses every day at their community hub OpenSpace. Our sewing workshops are one of these courses available, they take place between 10am – 1pm and allow refugees to attend the workshop space with the support of tailors to help practice and develop sewing skills whether they are experienced or looking to try a new interest.
Tila and Marzia are our two wonderful sewing tailors who teach the BagforEveryone sewing classes at OpenSpace, the community hub of our partner Starfish Foundation. We are especially pleased to have had classes back up and running for the past few months after lengthy disruptions caused by Covid-19 restrictions which were finally relaxed in June this summer.
Tila and Marzia Tila and Marzia are happy to pass on the art of tailoring to the workshop participants Tila, pictured with the red shopper bag, has now been working with us for 6 months. She has a great passion for her tailoring work and brings great experience having been sewing for over fifteen years. Marzia, seated at sewing machine, just joined our team two weeks ago also brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the project. Originating from Afghanistan, she has been in Greece for 3 years now and has twenty years of tailoring experience both in her home land, during her time living in Iran and is now able to continue her passion here in Greece.
The classes are on each day from 10am – 1pm, if you, or someone you know would like to come along please contact Starfish!
A big thank you to all the Bagforeveryone supporters – this project would not be possible without you all. Please visit the website regularly to see the product range and other ways you can support this project!
In August, Greece was experiencing the worst heatwave in over 30 years.
Temperatures have soared to over 40 degrees, wildfires have spread across the mainland, and thousands of people living in Greece have had to evacuate their homes.
Our thoughts are with the firefighters tackling the blazes, the Greek community, and those living within refugee camps throughout Greece who have faced increased barriers with regards to the impact of this devastating heatwave.
Watch @parwanaamiriofficial report about the situation of camps on mainland Greece, where many people have been forced to relocate due to the fires.
It is safe to say that the past year has not been an easy one. With COVID-19 fears, lockdowns, and a sense of detachment from friends, family (and people in general), as we all stayed at home: it has been an incredibly tough time for many. Due to these restrictions and the fact that non-essential services and activities were put on hold, our bagforeveryone workshops unfortunately had to stop in April 2020- just months after we started the classes on the Greek island of Lesvos. After much planning, and a huge amount of excitement about starting the workshops, this closure came as a real blow. However, after a long wait, and a lot more planning to ensure that the area was COVID-safe and ready for participants, we are delighted to have re-started the sewing workshops once more! Find out a little more information about the project below, and if you can spread the word to family, friends, and colleagues about the project we would be so grateful.
Where are they held? The bagforeveryone workshops are based on Lesvos, a Greek island which can be found close to the Turkish coast. Lesvos has received international news coverage over the last five years as one of the faces of the European “refugee crisis”; in 2015 alone, over one million refugees arrived on Lesvos and the surrounding Aegean islands. Our bagforeveryone workshops were designed to give people residing on Lesvos a safe place to learn how to sew on industrial sewing machines and learn a new skill: they are held at OpenSpace, the community centre of our partner organisation on the ground in Lesvos, Starfish Foundation.
OpenSpace, the community hub of our partner on the ground, Starfish Foundation
What happens in a bagforeveryone workshop? As well as being a space for socialising, the bagforeveryone workshops focus on the creativity of individuals. Each participant is taught how to use an industrial sewing machine; they learn the basics and are taught different patterns, before moving on to create the shopperbags and essentials cases that can be found on our website. One of the most important aspects of the project is that when the participants learn the necessary skills, they too can go on to teach the class. The collections you find on our website have all been made by hand in our workshops; each items shares a story, and each purchase supports the survival of the project. Masooma, having learnt the skills, will soon start teaching the sewing class to Farsi-speakers.
What is the current situation on Lesvos? At the time of writing this update, around 7,200 refugees and asylum seekers reside on Lesvos. Of those, 6,200 live in the RIC Lesvos camp, with the majority of the population from Afghanistan (65%). Children make up 32% of the present population of refugees on the island (UNHCR: 2021). The situation on Lesvos is ever-changing, but frustrations continue to rise regarding asylum procedure delays (due to COVID) and the living conditions of a “temporary” camp in the hot summer temperatures. In addition, the hardships of the global pandemic are felt more acutely by those residing in the camp as their freedom of movement is restricted further. People are stuck “in limbo” as they await their asylum decisions.
The RIC Lesvos camp
It remains vitally important that we stay informed about the situation for refugees and asylum seekers worldwide, but we do need to remind ourselves that behind the figures and statistics are individuals with unique stories and tales to tell. We are thankful for the people we meet in our workshops, each person bringing their own character and personality to the items they are crafting.
How can I attend? If you, or someone you know on Lesvos, would like to attend the workshops, please reach out to us via email. You can send an email to projects@asterias-starfish.org and someone from the Starfish Foundation team will get back to you with more information. We want to extend a sincere thank you for your unwavering support. To all of you who have purchased a bag on our website, who have followed us on social media, and those of you who have shared the project or raised awareness about the situation on Lesvos with loved ones, we appreciate it so much.
Whilst I was in Lesvos, I met a young Afghan refugee named Sara who had the idea to make bags from leftover donated clothes and fabrics. I brought her idea to the women’s shelter where I was working at the time, and together with Sara, we worked on the project until I had to return home to Switzerland. It was there that the bags caught up with me again.
Soon after I arrived back in Switzerland, Sara contacted me. She asked me to continue the bag project with her as she wanted to share her skills with people and create a source of income for herself. For me, there was no question that I would support her in this pursuit, providing opportunities for Sara which continued to be denied to her by Europe. So, I teamed up with a friend from Berlin and started the project. What awaited us was not easy at all. We spent almost a year finding solutions on how to get fabric in Lesvos, how to employ the young Afghan woman without having her residence permit revoked, how to find someone who would give us a space to produce the bags, how we would ship the bags to Germany and Switzerland.
We spent hours upon hours with endless bureaucratic questions until my Berlin friend decided to leave the project. This was the first stumbling block that got in my way. But this was quickly cleared out of the way, because as coincidence would have it, or not – I met Diana and Markus at an event and was introduced to their organization #EducationEveryone. They were looking for a project to support, and I had just started my project. So, we started the process again, this time with the goal of finding an NGO in Lesvos that would take care of the people and the project directly on the ground and with whom we could enter cooperation.
With Starfish Foundation, we found not only an organization that supports people seeking asylum, but the one that also supports the local Greek population and brings them together with refugees; the organization was called Starfish Foundation. It was exactly what we were looking for. Now we had everything and were more than ready. Unfortunately, the biggest stumbling block so far then followed. Joy and sadness were so close to each other: Sara received the positive news that she could finally leave the island and move to the mainland of Greece. For us, however, this meant that she would be leaving our bag project. Our set-up had to be rethought once again.
It was our good fortune that soon we were able to find two tailors from the Moria refugee camp, who together with Marieke, our project manager with Starfish on the ground, developed the bags from scratch. The sewing workshop grew to include ten tailors who had all fled from Syria, Afghanistan, and various countries in Africa. The result of their hard work is – bagforeveryone – vegan bags, all handmade, all unique, created by refugee and local Greek women and men from Lesvos.
Purchase a bag and your donation will support automatically the Tailoring Team of Shopperbags on Lesvos. We produce bags made out of local vegan materials in the city of Mytilene on the greek island of Lesbos. These bags are not a simple product; every bag tells a personal story of a refugee that came (fled) from Turkey over the Aegean sea. Learn more about the bagforeveryone project .
