BASIC CARE FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS AT THE BORDER
Sid, Serbia
1 place in logistics: from june 6th to august 29th
1 position in communication: from june 27th to august 27th
1 position in tracking: from july 1st to august 31st
(approximate dates)
Postgraduate and/or final year undergraduate students (22 years of age or older). Previous experience in intensive volunteer projects with forced migrants and refugees. NNK balances its team with people of different ages and backgrounds.
The following degrees would be an asset: International Relations, Engineering, Law, Business Administration and Management, Psychology, Nursing, Social Work, Social Education, Master's Degree in Cooperation, Master's Degree in Migration and Master's Degree in Humanitarian Aid.
Positions:
3
Sid, Serbia
Focal point in logistics: from june 29th to august 29th (approximate dates).
Focal point in communication: from june 27th to august 27th (approximate dates).
Focal point in tracking: from july 1st to august 31st (approximate dates).
The minimum stay is 2 months, with the possibility of extension to 3 months. Exceptionally, a stay of one month will be considered.
English is the common language in the field. Local languages, as well as those spoken by the immigrant community, will be highly appreciated.
*Language in which the project will be developed.
"In this project, the feeling of seeing the reality on the border, in the migratory dynamics, is what motivated me to want to be part of it. My expectations were very different from what I later experienced. I went with more fear, expecting to be more uncomfortable, being a woman, and then I found a very different reality. Perhaps because I also went at a time when things were calmer. I felt safe on the ground, the people on the move respected me, they opened up to me, we danced, we played cards... I learned a lot about their stories and their cultures, I have analyzed the dynamics of migration from the practice, and that is something that has opened my eyes more, and that has pushed me to want to continue with activism.
This experience has already changed my way of acting and thinking about the future, in knowing how I want to direct my professional life, and that is to continue with activism, and acquiring more knowledge and contributing to society to build a better world. It has also changed the concept of the way of living that I had before. I have learned that what I really value in life are the people around me, the experiences I live with them, and that I don't want to live a life of luxury. I have discovered that I am good at it and enjoy helping, listening and learning from others. I have discovered that I don't mind giving up material things to make someone else happy, or to fight for the betterment of people's conditions."
No Name Kitchen is an independent movement working along the Balkan and Mediterranean routes to promote humanitarian aid and political action on behalf of those suffering the hardships of extreme travel and violent rejection.
This is a real phrase that a member of the NNK field team said in 2021 talking about a person on the move: we did not help, we decided to fight injustices and empathize with those who suffer the illegalities of an unjust system. After a field experience is much more what we learned as volunteers than what we gave to those who suffer conditions of vulnerability. NNK teams are looking for those who are able to understand that we are not saviors, but simply willing to make our contribution when possible, without feeding any false expectations about the importance of what we can do (and more importantly what we cannot do). People on the move have crossed all of Europe from Iran to Bosnia and NNK is in only 5 cities out of thousands along the Balkan route: people must rely on their resilience and not on humanitarian projects. We provide aid and human closeness as much as possible, we do not save lives.
Between 2020 and 2021 we witness another change in the Balkan route. Although people continue to pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach Central Europe, there seems to be a steady decline in people choosing to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina and prefer to try to reach Europe via Romania and Serbia. According to UNHCR data, in 2021 more than 60,000 asylum seekers arrived in Serbia's governmental centers, while in 2020 Romania recorded an increase of almost 240% of people seeking asylum in the country.
The route from Serbia to Romania and then to other Western EU countries is relatively new and more frequented since the winter of 2019/2020. In the beginning, it was used mostly by refugees from Arab countries, mainly Syria and Iraq. Šid is a small town in northwestern Serbia, very close to the border with Croatia. Since 2015, Šid has been a very important crossing point for people on the move, not only when the humanitarian corridor along the Balkan route was opened, but also after March 2016.
Around Šid there are 3 official camps where about 1,000 asylum seekers live and many informal camps (squatters or jungles). NNK volunteers are not allowed access inside the official camps.
NNK has been in Šid since 2017 supporting people on the move with basic needs and to denounce border and internal violence. In parallel, we also support other groups such as the local and Roma community. We are the only actor with constant presence in Sid and the reason is because we do believe in the importance of being there, denouncing and raising our voice.
Having such a constant presence in the field is not easy. We have suffered the criminalization of our work. NNK has been officially accused by the mayor of Sid of being a threat to the Republic of Serbia. Once you are on the ground, representing NNK 24/7, there is no time off in the perception of the local community (which does not mean that you cannot take time off from NNK's work). However, the local community will still perceive you as NNK: low profile, respecting national law and behavior is an obligation throughout your stay.
What are we going to do?
The main activity of all the teams is represented by the distributions, which are composed of a chain of sub-activities (direct line, packaging, purchasing, distribution) in which the team has to move and act as a single body.
These are the positions needed and the dates to be filled. To be selected you must secure two months in the field:
1 POSITION: LOGISTICS FOCAL POINT
Support colleagues in logistics: welcome new arrivals, facilitate local documentation is done in coordination with NNK staff.
Equipment, facilities, vehicles: ensure that NNK items are used correctly, if not, ask for replacement / repair.
Supplies for activities: avoid having illegal material in the warehouse (e.g. some medicines need prescription); keep the NNK contact database up to date; in coordination with the team, define food and NFIs needs and make the purchase plan in coordination with the Focal Point of follow-up, according to the team's budget.
1 PLACE : TRACKING FOCAL POINT
Expense tracking: monitoring of the system already in place whose main purpose is to record expenses. This task requires 2 hours per week.
Monitoring of distributions: the distribution team is responsible for keeping track of what is distributed; the monitoring focal point is responsible for recording this information in the established system. In Velika Kladusa, NNK does not distribute food packages directly, but we manage a voucher project that allows people on the move to exchange them for food or hygiene items in local stores, choosing what they need each week.
Tracking people on the move: borders are unstable, the migrant community is on the move, NNK needs to keep an up-to-date overview of where people are and what their needs are. The monitoring focal point needs to walk around, talk to people, confirm the number of people in an occupied house and update this information at all times (today there may be no one in one place and the next week there may be a family of 10 occupying the space).
1 POSITION : COMMUNICATION FOCAL POINT
Produce multimedia content: videos, photos, posts, interviews, texts, audios. Just produce the results, NNK Communication Reference organizes the publication calendar and manages NNK's social networks.
Think outside the box! Be creative and original. It is recommended to take a look at NNK's social media before being assigned to this position to get a general idea of what has been posted lately (it is very common for communication focal points to post very similar content: for example, people on the move don't have shoes!). So, again, be creative!
Welcome journalists. Spreading the word and talking about the situation at the borders is very necessary. In most cases, people on the move are tired and want to talk.
There is a lot more information about the organization, the places where you work, the responsibilities of each position, etc., for those who want to participate in No Name Kitchen projects. Please ask your university references before the selection interview if you are interested.
Refugee migrants and asylum seekers at the border of Serbia
All students selected for the VUELA program will receive common training for participation in volunteer activities.
Consult YOUR UNIVERSITY in the following links for training dates, location and conditions. Don't forget to mark them in your calendar. This training is mandatory and is part of the project.
Field accompaniment will be provided by the organization itself. NNK has established a system of personal and professional support that includes:
✔ Free legal protection in case of abuse of power perpetrated by the authorities. In case a volunteer acts against national law and/or NNK policies, this service will not be provided.
✔ Continuous monitoring and training in the field.
✔ Free access to supervision and psychological support.
✔ A great experience to get in touch with people on the move and local communities.
This accompaniment is carried out through different people who act as referents:
1.CREW REF: for the validation process and volunteer agreements, always reachable in the field;
2. COUNTRY REF: main reference to deal with during the whole experience. This person meets with the team every week during the Assembly, where the main decisions are taken. The whole team is guided by this person, who represents a kind of human hard disk of the base (knows the past, the current situation and the long-term strategy of NNK).
3. TECHNICAL REF: specialized in the specific focal point that the volunteer will cover. It is the reference to contact in case of doubts about the position covered and the tasks foreseen.
4. CARE TEAM: The NNK team provides PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL SUPPORT to all focal points. The Care Team is reachable before, during and after any field experience.
5. ADDITIONAL SERVICES: Translators (former displaced persons, who facilitate communication between the migrant community and the focal points) and lawyers for free legal protection.
The cost of this project is 170 euros/month. This amount covers the following items that will be provided by the organization:
Lodging
Free Wi-Fi.
Free transportation for activities.
Cleaning products (broom, mop, sponge, bleach, dishwasher soap).
Toilet paper, kitchen napkins, garbage bags (150 liters).
Basket of basic foodstuffs. It is not intended to fully cover the needs of each team member, but to contribute to them. Eventually, the teams could decide to integrate the purchases collectively on a weekly basis; the amount of the contribution depends on the agreement taken by the team in the field and may vary according to the context; the range could go from 20 to 50 euros per week, depending on the teams and people's habits.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT: Free legal protection in case of abuse of power by the authorities. Continuous monitoring and training in the field. Free access to supervision and psychological support. Free translation services, provided by former displaced persons who are still associated with the Organization.
Information on the possibility and conditions of financial support for these concepts can be found below, by consulting YOUR UNIVERSITY:
The student is responsible for arranging and paying for transportation to the intervention site, and must inform the project's reference university of the date and time of arrival at least 15 days in advance.
Comillas Pontifical University (María Iglesias Martínez)
