Visitors to OHF
Sadly, the rules regarding entering and exiting the camp have gotten stricter in the past weeks. People are only allowed to leave the camp for a few hours, once a week. Sometimes people are lucky and are able to get more time out of the camp. This seems dependent upon who is guarding the camp at certain times and other events happening in the camp. Many people have mentioned that this has impacted their mental health, as they feel like prisoners being locked up inside.
The team on the ground has started to gather more detailed information from our visitors when they arrive at OHF. We have been asking where they go while at OHF, what activities they use, what projects they are involved in and why they like to visit OHF. We are hoping that by collecting this information, we are able to tailor our activities more and hopefully be able to reach more visitors.
Around the grounds
There are no new building projects at the moment, however much of our current infrastructure has got some lovely touch ups recently! We have lots of new paintings around the grounds and new signage for each project. The space looks very green and creative! As always, the volleyball court is as popular as ever! From the time we open to the time we close, visitors, community volunteers and volunteers are enjoying the space and playing the sport together.
Shop Updates
The Shop continues to be one of our most popular projects. We are still handing out hygiene kits and items. We are looking to expand this service to add in dry food, however we are still working out logistics and sourcing donations. If anyone can help with this, please let us know!
We have also been continuing to hand out clothes to new arrivals and when it is needed in the camp. For example, one tent burnt down in the camp the other day, and with help of other organisations on the ground, we were able to provide clothing and necessities to help the residents of the tent.
News from the Stage!
Our Open stage is back up and running! We are so excited to share that we are running Open stage twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 to 14:00. It is open for anyone to join in or simply sit back and enjoy.
Also on the stage this week was an incredible presentation given by Changing Stories Foundation. They’ve been working on the Follow the Sun Project, which is an educational theatre play about children’s legal rights and the asylum procedure.
They are also working with Defence for Children, European Lawyers Lesvos, Wave of Hope for the Future, Little Lotus, Rad Musician and Leave No One Behind 2020 towards making an educational film about this topic.
Thank you for such an incredible show and for all the amazing work you are doing!
