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.

NNK officially arrived in Ceuta in February 2021, after making several visits in previous years and after having been working in Melilla together with our partners Solidary Wheels since the beginning of 2020. During the month of February, a situation analysis was carried out to identify the existing needs. Finally, in March, we launched a 4-month pilot project. Following the massive arrival of thousands of people in Ceuta in May 2021, we recognized the need to establish a long-term NNK base in Ceuta.

Ceuta is, together with Melilla, the only land border between Africa and Europe. Both cities have been, and are, key in the management of migration flows since the late 1990s. We have observed that there is a lot of violence against migrants, both physical, psychological and administrative, and this violence must be publicly denounced.

Many people, including many minors, in order to leave Ceuta for other parts of Spain risk their lives in a practice called risky. It consists of placing themselves on the underside of a truck that gets on a ferry. Sometimes they also take boats to cross the Mediterranean. This can cause deaths, which are totally avoidable. The objective is to help people to obtain legal ways to be able to leave Ceuta, never to encourage them to remain on the street.

The routine of working at a border is very changeable. What happens in Ceuta often goes unnoticed and we believe it is very important to create spaces of security in a context where people suffer a violation of their rights, and also to play the role of "loudspeaker" and ensure that these violations are no longer invisible

In addition to offering humanitarian assistance and spaces of trust to migrants so that they know they can trust us if they want to denounce effectively, it is important, within No Name Kitchen, to create tools, documents and databases that allow us to better compile the information we learn and give them visibility. 

The spaces in which we intervene are usually those where people spend the day. There are other places where people spend the night, but we prefer to keep them as spaces of tranquility and rest. We usually visit the port area, Benitez beach, the CETI beach, supermarkets, Carrefour, Lidl and Dia in the port, the neighborhood of Hadú. We carry out health care, intervention on the ground, legal and social support, information and public denunciation, communication, distributions. We have a partner in Ceuta, Ruedas Solidarias, based in Melilla. Legal and documentation tasks are shared.

NNK is a grassroots organization where highly motivated volunteers (non-profit/junior humanitarian profiles) find their space to gain first-hand experience in the field. Coming to NNK projects is a unique experience but it is not for everyone. We look for conscientious and responsible individuals who can understand the sensitivities of being in the field; dealing with a vulnerable population as well as (in some cases) hostile actors. In the field we adopt a low profile; we are not looking for any confrontation with the police, but for mutual understanding. We look for people who are able to adapt to complex contests where everyone contributes to teamwork (beyond the focal point). 

What are we going to do?

In Ceuta we have a team of four or five people who are "focal points", everyone performs their duties on a voluntary basis. The whole team has to make daily rounds to the places where homeless people live and see how they are, if there are any medical emergencies or if there are any new developments in their situation, plagued by abuses of their rights. It is a good way to create spaces of trust and friendly places for people. Many of them are minors.

On a daily basis, and depending on the needs, we may have to distribute clean clothes or medical care to people who are in a street situation. 

The distributions and other leisure activities we do give us the opportunity to meet people and let them know about NNK's work. This is how we can get to know the situation well and collect reports of violence against these people to report them publicly or even denounce them. In addition to people living on the streets, we also work with people who have been living in Ceuta for years but who, due to administrative and bureaucratic irregularities, are not yet registered and lack the rights that this process brings in the long term.

In addition to the daily rounds that are an essential part of the job, each person has specific tasks. In this project this is the position needed and the dates to be covered (to be selected you must secure two months in the field):

1 POSITION : FOCAL POINT FOR HEALTH, WATER AND HYGIENE

• Street medicine: NNK is not a medical NGO; activities under this pillar can be performed by non-specialized staff. However, whenever possible, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and paramedics are recommended for this position, mainly because of their expertise. Key activities are: cleaning wounds, treating scabies and skin infections. 

• Specialized medical care: when street medicine is not sufficient, the HWH focal point accompanies people on the move to hospitals/clinics ensuring access to them (e.g., identifying people in need of dental, physiotherapeutic, orthopedic, gynecological, etc.).

• Water and hygiene: organize with the rest of the team the distribution of hygiene items, showers and scabies treatment.

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 Ceuta

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 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)