BASIC CARE FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS AT THE BORDER
Ventimiglia, Italy
1 position in logistics: from july 1st to august 31st
1 place in protection: from June 26th to August 27th
1 position in Health: from july 6th to September 3rd
(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
Ventimiglia, Italy
Focal point in logistics: from July 1st to August 31st (approximate dates).
Focal point on protection: from June 26th to August 27th (approximate dates)
Focal point in health: from July 6th to September 3rd (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.
NNK Field Volunteer
"It is better to make fewer distributions with humanity and a smile on the face than to make several distributions in a hurry, forgetting the people behind each displacement. Most of the time, people on the move travel for years and go through hundreds of cities, NNK is only in 5 cities along the Balkan route. Along all these cities they have eaten, slept and walked: all without any NNK volunteers. What we do is only support, in solidarity, but we do not save lives. Relativize your importance while you are on the ground."
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.
Migrant refugees and asylum seekers at the border of France and Italy.
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)
