No Name Kitchen is an independent movement working alongside the Balkans and Mediterranean routes to promote humanitarian aid and political action for those who suffer the hardships of extreme travel and violent rejections. 

This is a real phrase that a member of the NNK field team said in 2021 talking about a person on the move: we don't help, we decide 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.

Most people on the move are in Bosnia and Herzegovina for one reason: to try to reach EU land. Bihac is a point very close to Italy across the Balkans, and in a few days of fast walking a person can reach Trieste and ask for asylum there. This journey is called THE GAME, because of the countless number of attempts people make before they succeed. Human rights violations, lack of safeguards for seeking asylum and impunity of border officials are the reasons why NNK works in Bosnia.

The people on the move are geographically dispersed: some hundreds live in refugee camps, others in abandoned buildings and there are also those who set up camps by themselves hidden in the forests (The jungle). NNK focuses on people living outside the refugee camps. The community is diverse: 85% between 17 and 40 years of age, 15% families, 20% minors. 85% men - 15% women. Mostly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Ukraine, Cuba, Sudan and Eritrea. 

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:

2 POSITIONS : FOCAL POINT OF PROTECTION

• Legal information session: liaise with Legal Clinics in other countries (e.g. Italy, Germany) to develop online information sessions for PoM to ask questions about the asylum application process, steps to be taken upon arrival and other related issues. Gather people on the move, prepare them before the session, collect questions and systematize the information.

• Identify push backs and write reports in accordance with the NNK Testimony Collection Guidelines. Report writing follows a specific methodology, sometimes volunteers get a wonderful interview that cannot be uploaded to our database because key information is missing. Inaccuracies jeopardize our ability to advocate.

Strategic litigation: seeking justice for those cases that can be supported with relevant documentation in case of illegal and violent reprisals.

NNK collects testimonies from people abused at the borders and publishes monthly reports together with other partners in the Border Violence Monitoring Network to call for change in policymaking. In addition, we launch advocacy campaigns with visual testimonies of violence and try to connect people on the move with lawyers who can initiate a lawsuit against the perpetrators who committed the abuses.

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 in the city of Bihac

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)