Underwear, socks and shoes for refugees!

by Anam Zafar in Greece

Underwear, socks and shoes for refugees!
We did it
On 6th May 2019 we successfully raised £1,630 with 30 supporters in 28 days

I'm volunteering with Movement On The Ground from 17th March-26th April in Lesvos' refugee camps and want to further support their projects

by Anam Zafar in Greece


When you go on holiday, how many pairs of underwear and socks do you take? Probably a fresh pair for every day. You might even take a few extras "just in case". Am I right?

Would you ever consider travelling with just one pair of underwear and socks - the ones you've got on right now? Probably not. Why would anyone do that?

What if you didn't have a choice?

Many refugees arriving in Greece come with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Luckily, Movement On The Ground have established a clothes shop in Kara Tepe camp, Lesvos. Kara Tepe houses the most vulnerable people to have made the treacherous sea crossing: families and ill or disabled people. 

The clothes shop gives each family the time and dignity to choose, refuse and try on clothing during a pre-booked appointment where they have the shop to themselves. A massive step up from a clothing distribution line, in my opinion, where you often don't have the time to ask for a different size or a different colour. Because which one of us would want to line up to get given clothes? We'd much rather go to a shop to pick our own. And so would they. With the Kara Tepe shop, MOTG acknowledges that refugees are normal people who want to do a normal thing like go to a shop and not stand in a line. 

The shop is stocked fully by donations. While MOTG receives an endless supply of CLOTHES donations, donations of UNDERWEAR, SOCKS and SHOES are scarce

Most of us feel fine with wearing the same pair of jeans for a few days, but socks and underwear? No - we want to change those every day. So do Kara Tepe residents. 

I've now completed three full weeks of volunteering with MOTG and during my shop shifts, I have noticed that the underwear and socks boxes are often empty, as well as certain men's shoe sizes only having a handful of pairs on offer. When that happens, I hate having to tell people that we have nothing to offer them, when I know that, really, we DO. There are people around the world who are more than able to give up a few pounds to buy some, and who do so all the time for themselves and their families without a second thought. And there are shops in Lesvos full of the stuff.

That's why I will use this money to buy as many pairs of underwear, socks and shoes as I can before I leave the island. Any money received after I leave will then be donated directly to MOTG, who will use the money in one of their many amazing initiatives, where it is most needed.

Please help the residents of Kara Tepe. I'll deliver your help for you.

Thank you!!

Learn more about MOTG here: https://movementontheground.com/

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