BA Anthropology student, Sae Bosco, worked in a solidarity kitchen in Greece for one month, providing food for refugees. She was awarded a £500 Santander Universities Go Abroad bursary to complete her experience.
In June 2018, I spent one-month volunteering at a solidarity kitchen called Philoxenia in Thessaloniki, Greece. Every day we would cook, pack and distribute food to refugees that live in the local area, providing about 400+ vegan meals for lunch and dinner each day.
Philoxenia runs solely on donations – meals are made using vegetables salvaged from markets and wholesale suppliers before they get thrown away, the dry food is all donated to us in bulk and the money is collected privately through fundraising. I met many inspiring volunteers and courageous refugees, each with unique stories about their life.
I learnt so much about the crisis on a personal level – the hardships and struggles that appear during their journey and through the process of obtaining a refugee status. However, the positivity and determination that was demonstrated throughout my experience by both the refugees and volunteers was motivating. The volunteer community was very friendly, compassionate and driven to make nutritional food that would be distributed to anyone that needed it.
The experience has inspired me to truly offer whatever I can to make the world more equal as well as fight for the fact that everyone should have the political human right to safely flee conflict with a reassurance that they will be welcomed and supported within their new environment. The images included show the community centre that I volunteered at as well as examples of graffiti that were displayed near to where a group of refugees lived. I believe the images demonstrate the compassion and drive for a better world that manages to shine through the unacceptable situation asylum seekers have to cope with.
The funding for this opportunity was provided by Santander Universities.