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Refugee Aid in Turkey & Greece

My name is Ariel, and I am a young human rights lawyer from the USA. 

I have been providing and running aid in Turkey, Greece, and Croatia since June. I am currently based in Athens, Greece, where I am volunteering with Caritas and in the two district refugee camps. Previously, I volunteered in the winter refugee camps in Opatovac and Slavonski Brod, Croatia. Prior to that, I served as an aid runner for food and supplies between Bodrum and Kos, in Turkey and Greece and with NGOs on the Syrian/Turkey border.

My job in the Croatian camps was to provide and run food, clothes,  & basic medical aid for refugees on their way to Germany, Sweden, and other locations. Since beginning my volunteering, I have worked also in Turkey, both on the Syrian border and the Greek border. For example, for more than a month, I supplied and transported clothes and food to those in Bodrum, Turkey and on Kos, Greece, on a daily basis.

When my Turkish visa expired in early October,  I decided to continue this same work in Croatia and the border of Serbia, in Bapska, where so many refugees face even worse conditions and able to find fewer supplies and  necessities to survive and continue the dangerous journey to Germany or Sweden  (the most common destinations). I have continued this work in Athens, Greece with the NGO Caritas and as an independent volunteer in the port receiving refugee boats. 

Currently, I am volunteering on the Greek/Macedonian border, in Idomeni.

Over the past several months, I have also interviewed NGOs, country mission directors, and refugees in Istanbul and along the Syrian border, including Anatakya, Reyhanlı, Kilis, Urfa, and Antep. I am writing, pro bono, articles on this crisis for CDN (Communities Digital News) and promoting the stories of these refugees throughout my professional and social networks. 

I intend to continue providing this type of aid for as long as my funds permit, which makes your aid invaluable!

As various UN Committees and branches have noted, this ongoing crisis is a danger to the region and the world, and is the most destructive refugee crisis currently in the world. 

My background includes extensive legal and policy work with UNESCO non-profits and non-governmental organizations. 

I have, and will, use donations for my for housing and transportation, as well as the food and supplies I prepare and run to the refugees here in Bodrum, Kos, Athens, and Croatia. 

My next project is to continue providing aid and support on the Greek/Macedonian border, in an area called Idomeni, and then return to Izmir and Bodrum, Turkey, to provide support to the NGOs and citizen volunteers based there.

I will happily and promptly (with internet access willing) respond to any questions or thoughts on this project. 

Here is a link to my main source of information (the Syria Regional Refugee Response, a portal for UN and NGOs to upload & share crucial documents, maps, and plans):

Syria Regional Refugee Response


Thank you very much!

Organizer

Ariel Ricker
Organizer
Antakya, Turkey

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