Another busy week has passed for the volunteers of the Chios Eastern Shore Response Team/ Offene Arme e.V. Last Thursday a boat with 39 new arrivals was brought to Chios port. Everybody was safe and welcomed by a fast responding team of volunteers. Because of only one boat landing we had a lot of time to focus on the other projects. In the garden potatoes were planted. At the same time there was a harvest of aubergine, lettuce and different herbs that the students picked and took home with them. The winter vegetables like cauliflower are growing well.
Vial games are still taking place on a regular basis. Because of a more structured approach it’s much easier to manage the increasing number of children that participate. The past week we continued distributing clothes and needed items to vulnerable people living in apartments. We got a notification about some women and a baby living in Megas Limnioas. We did a needs assessment and a few volunteers distributed the things to them. Together with the organization Travel for Smiles we supported two local families. For one family we organized a private teacher as one of the children needs special educational support. The mother is alone with her two children and couldn’t take care of it herself. As well we were able to give an oven to a local couple living in a tent. Winter is coming, also on Chios. In the Language Centre a new English class was opened. And in the beginning of this week a writing class opens for those having difficulties with forming letters. In the warehouse we were preparing 50 boxes of clothes for Attica Human Support operating on Lesvos. Moreover, we packed 100 Hygiene Packs for the women’s centre in town. The organization of the new warehouse is still in process. During the week we finished building up all the shelves to put in boxes of clothes, toys, blankets etc. We also built shelves for the porthut to facilitate operating in the limited space there. Despite the weekly routine we tried to include some team building measures for the volunteers. During the break people painted shelves to make the interior of the warehouse more warm and comforting. An Info Point was created to facilitate communication and make important information available for everybody. Unfortunately, the last week was one of many goodbyes as well. A huge thank you goes out to all the people who have supported CESRT with their time, power and heart over the past weeks. CESRT ðŸ’œOffene Arme e.V.

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