After a year of rising visitor numbers, we are facing a new year with a lot of uncertainty. Help us to secure the future of OHF.
Dear OHF supporters
First of all, we would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the past few weeks. Our fundraising campaign has started well, but we have not yet raised enough money to ensure our survival in 2024. At the moment, our financial resources are only sufficient to keep our doors open until the end of February 2024.
However, we could observe over the last year, that the number of visitors has continued to rise, clearly demonstrating the need for a community center like our Victoria CC. That is why we are doing everything we can to offer our numerous visitors, our team and our partner organisations long-term security. In October the number of visits to VCC was the highest since the beginning of the year 2023. We had 3 692 visitors and served 1 997 coffees and 1 616 orange juices. It has been a tough month in which both the OHF team and partner organisations have been working hard to attend and provide essential support to more than 200 daily visitors. Despite the adversities that arise during October in the daily life of running the VCC, for example the lack of space for the visitors and 12 different organisations or the increasing demands of daily lunches, we continue to work hard every day to keep providing essential support to the increasing number of visitors.
But we can’t do this without you, because OHF is financed almost entirely by small and larger private donations. That is why we are once again asking you to support us and spread the word about our campaign. This is the only way we can raise enough money to continue the project. Make your loved ones a Christmas present with an item from our shop, so that people on the move will also get to benefit from this gift.
One Happy Family has existed since 2017 and we hope that we can continue to write the story and not just tell it. One Happy Family, a name equally controversial and appropriate, a name chosen by the ones who built the organisation and became a family.
OHF is since the beginning a project of and with people. People forced to flee homes and families, forced to live in camps and stuck in asylum procedures.
People who have skills, love and abilities. Who came together from all over the world to create something for the better, for each other, for those who come after us. But the name is deceiving. No, we are not always happy. Mostly the people of OHF are working and living in very difficult situations, oftentimes we are frustrated, angry, sad, overwhelmed by the never changing inhumane circumstances people seeking safety have to endure. We are desperate and sometimes almost lose hope in the humanity of our world.
But we give our best to participate in a positive change and to create better and more equal living conditions for the people who visit us daily and for our extended families all over the world.
To keep you up to date with daily life at OHF around the world, there will be exciting insights into OHF throughout the month as part of an advent calendar on social media and WhatsApp. You can follow it via the following links:
Facebook(even without login):
https://www.facebook.com/OHFGreece
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ohfcommunitycenter
Join the WhatsApp group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/L7CM57lh3zoEKSoyHZqTKA
Despite the many sad and traumatic stories taking place in the world at the moment, it is important to us that the situation of the people on the move in Greece is not forgotten. More and more people are seeking protection again, the situation of many is precarious. In addition, the offer of NGOs is decreasing more and more due to a lack of financial means. This situation makes us sad, but we still hope that together we can maintain the valuable offer in the VCC.
We wish everyone a wonderful Advent season, happy holidays and a successful end to the year and hope that we can start 2024 on a positive note thanks to our joint efforts.
Best regards from the whole OHF team