Solidarity4Teachers - Mosaik

I am raising A$25,000 dollars for the Mosaik Support Center on Lesvos Island, Greece.  Each week, 700 refugees from across the island attend free classes at the center. Mosaik relies entirely on donations for its survival.

Lesvos was the epicenter of the European migrant crisis that began in 2015. More than 700,000 refugees passed through this small island in 15 months. 

Just 1000 single donations of A$25 will pay the costs of Mosaik's qualified teachers for a whole year and improve the daily lives of hundreds of vulnerable people. It will also open the classes, which are currently full, to the long waiting list of a further 600 people, desperate to attend.

Plus! One donation will be selected at the end of the fundraiser to win a major artwork, beautifully framed and valued at A$15,000! (Keep reading below....)

In early 2017, I took a break from painting & travelled across Greece and Jordan with two other Australians to film a series of short documentaries. Our objective was to tell the stories of refugees and highlight uplifting examples of people and humanitarian organisations who are successfully supporting  and giving dignity back to these vulnerable people.

It was inspirational to observe so many positive human stories arising from the tragic and often traumatic displacement of people and families from their homelands. 

Part of our trip was spent in Lesvos. While we were there, we got to know Mosaik:  a not for profit community based support center in the main port of Mytilene, staffed by 20 people from both the refugee and local communities. Mosaik was founded on the principles of integration, solidarity & empowerment.

The center offers free, non-formal education and cultural activities for the most vulnerable people on the island. The dedicated language teachers working at Mosaik are fully qualified and paid. The long term benefit this provides to the refugee students who have been through great difficulty and face uncertain futures  is invaluable.

You can view a short film we made about Mosaik on our Vimeo channel by CLICKING HERE

After observing the success of the centre, I decided to team up with the incredible people at Mosaik to launch 'Solidarity4Teachers - Mosaik' 

We are seeking just 1000 single donations of A$25 (or 20euro).  If you’d like to give more, you can. If you’d like to give multiple donations- for example, one for each member of your family, we'd be even more grateful. 

If we beat the target, it means more teachers, more classes to support even more people currently on Mosaik’s long waiting list.

Help us to prove that a small contribution multiplied by many people can amount to something significant and create meaningful lasting benefit for people worse off than we are.

It takes just a minute to donate

Every cent raised will go directly towards the cost of professional teachers. The campaign closes on June 28.

Thanks for reading,
Best wishes,

Angus McDonald

PS/ If you want more details please get in touch with us. Please share this campaign and don't forget to tag #solidarity4teachers when you post!


Howling Eagle and Mosaik

Mosaik was established in 2016 by Lesvos Solidarity and German NGO, Borderline-Europe. Efi Latsoudi, founder of Lesvos Solidarity, is an incredible local woman who last year was awarded the UNHCR’s Nansen refugee award for her extraordinary humanitarian efforts in Lesvos. This award is coveted and she was only one of 2 recipients across the world in 2016.

Personally knowing Efi, Mosaik staff, refugee students and artists, we’ve seen how invaluable the emotional, psychological and logistical support they offer has become to the island at large. We trust Mosaik organisers to continue providing help where governments and intergovernmental forces have left these people in limbo.

Before I left Mosaik, I asked Efi, ‘…if there was one thing you need the most right now, what would it be?’

The answer was enough donations, 20,000 Euros, (A$25,000)  to pay teachers' salaries for one year. Upon returning to Australia, we immediately decided to launch 'Solidarity4Teachers - Mosiak' to raise that money. 

PRIZE


(In the studio with Angus McDonald, Sugar the dog and the artwork that will be sent to one lucky donor.)

One single donation will be randomly selected at the end of the campaign, to receive this large original artwork, beautifully framed, valued at A$15,000 (11,000 Euro).

“The Lessons of History”, (2015) Chalk & Charcoal on washed paper 135x190cm.

Can you spare $25/20€ for refugees? Let's do it together and show our solidarity to those who need it most.

The winning donation will be announced in 1 months' time!


ABOUT Mosaik


In March 2016 and after the EU/Turkey Deal when Europe closed the borders, around 8000 refugees have remained stranded on Lesvos island. These vulnerable people are in limbo, unable to plan for an unknown future and are subject to psychological stresses and despair. Those supporting refugees now face the challenge of addressing the long-term needs of a vast population of displaced people.

In 2016 and in response to the challenge of addressing the new longer term needs of these people, Lesvos Solidarity with Bordeline Europe have established the Mosaik Support Center in Lesvos, Greece. Built on principles of solidarity, integration and empowerment, Mosaik offers sustainable ways to empower refugees with dignity. Over 700 students from Refugee camps and community based housing centres across the island attend classes at Mosaik each week. The ages range from 4 to 89 years old. There are a further 600 people on a waiting list. 

Mosaik offers language courses (English, Greek, Arabic and Farsi) by professional, salaried teachers. It also provides legal support for asylum applicants, vocational training in arts and crafts, upcycling workshops, music and dance classes, daycare for young children, and cultural events supported by artists, activists and international organisations. This supportive environment enables engagement between the refugee and local populations and the opportunity for refugees to learn and make their own contributions to the local community.

For more about Mosaik: www.lesvosmosaik.org

For more about Lesvos Solidarity: lesvossolidarity.org

For more about Borderline Europe: borderline-europe.de

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WHO WE ARE


Howling Eagle is an Australian independent documentary film project I established in 2016. We are making films to inspire and raise awareness about people and groups contributing to a better, more tolerant and cohesive society around the world. Our documentary films about the refugee and migrant issue in Greece and Jordan will be released soon.

DM us for more details.

Find us, and our films here:

https://vimeo.com/howlingeagle

https://www.instagram.com/howling.eagle/

https://www.instagram.com/angusmcz/

https://www.facebook.com/howling.eagle.productions/