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 the border of Europe and NNK is in only 7 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 2022 and 2023 we witness another change in the Balkan route. Although people still pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach Central Europe, there seems to be a steady decline in the number of people who choose to enter through Bosnia and reach Europe. They now prefer to enter through Serbia and settle in Croatia and Italy.
The route from Serbia to Croatia and then to other western EU countries is relatively new and more frequented since winter 2022/2023. NNK has been in Ventimiglia since 2023 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 gypsy community.
Having such a constant presence in the field is not easy. We have suffered the criminalization of our work. Once you are on the ground, representing NNK 24/7, there is no time off in the perception of the local community (which doesn't mean you can't take time off from NNK work). However, the local community will still perceive you as NNK: low profile, respecting national law and behavior is an obligation throughout your stay.
Ventimiglia has never ceased to be a town of arrival and passage for people on the move, coming from the Mediterranean and also from the Balkan route, who arrive at the border to reach France and other European countries. Most of the people on the move come from Africa (Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, etc.) and usually speak Arabic, English or French, but we also often meet people who have already spent some time in Italy and therefore speak Italian.
The number of inhabitants of Ventimiglia changes a lot over the months and years, but never stands still. In general, it can vary between 50 and 350 individuals, including families. Since the 2015 emergency, the displaced people of Ventimiglia have been increasingly displaced from the city, forced to live in hidden places far from the centre, abandoned buildings, the river overpass under the bridge.
In Ventimiglia, various groups (collectives, associations, citizens, NGOs) support people on the move. Despite the help provided, there are still needs. Most people sleep on the streets, so they do not have access to good hygienic conditions. Illegal practices at the border are normalised and pushing and shoving takes place in broad daylight, with other people watching and clearly seeing what is happening. The most important driving factor for NNK to be there is to amplify all the previous attempts made by other collectives to publicise the situation in Ventimiglia, talking about the illegalities and contributing not to normalise them but to underline that they are against the law.
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. The team will network with many other organisations on the ground.
The main activities will be:
distribution of food but not as a main activity but to fill the gaps that cannot be filled by other organisations.
distribution of toiletries and showers. This is one of the main activities in Ventimiglia. Showers (3 times a week) and distribution of hygiene kits are ensured, as well as distribution of clean clothes (either second hand or washed beforehand by the teams).
communication. Through social media and images, the aim is to give visibility to what is happening on this border.
Border monitoring to provide information, water and food to people trying to reach Ventimiglia.
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 POSITION : HEALTH, WATER AND SANITATION FOCAL POINT
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.
1 POSITION : PROTECTION FOCAL POINT
Identify push backs and write reports according to the NNK Testimony Collection Guidelines. Report writing follows a specific methodology, sometimes volunteers get a wonderful interview that cannot be uploaded into our database because key information is missing. Inaccuracies jeopardise our ability to advocate.
Strategic litigation: seeking justice for those cases that can be backed up with relevant documentation in case of illegal and violent reprisals.
NNK collects testimonies from people abused at the borders and publishes monthly reports with other partners in the Border Violence Monitoring Network to call for change in policy making. In addition, we launch advocacy campaigns with visual testimonies of violence and try to connect people on the move with lawyers who can bring a case against the perpetrators who committed the abuses.
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.