Help Global Refugees in the Balkans

** Description updated on 10/2/15 **

As human beings, the Global Refugee Crisis affects us all. People are fleeing persecution and warfare all across the globe right now, and many of them pass through camps like the one I worked in for a month (Tabanovce, Macedonia). Most of the refugees I have worked with come from Syria and Afghanistan, but others are from Pakistan, Iran,  Iraq, Somalia, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The camp in Tabanovce was established to assist these individuals and continues to do exactly that by distributing (halal) food, water, blankets, and clothing, in addition to sharing updated information -- as we get it -- about border policies and possible routes. We also provide directional support, and I have personally guided dozens of groups from the camp to the Serbian border. Sometimes this means a small family of ten to fifteen people OR a larger group of eighty to one hundred. We cannot force borders to open, we cannot change the mentality of those who stand in opposition to the refugees' plight, and we cannot dictate to governments what they can, should, or must do. Instead, we can offer a warm smile and greeting, ensure that the refugees are not hungry or cold, and provide them with the necessary information and guidance to arrive at the Serbian border with confidence, knowing that they are aware of the next steps they must take.

With the money that has been raised so far, we have been able to buy multiple boxes of fruit and almost one hundred big boxes of milk for babies and very small children. We have been able to purchase an industrial grade roll of trash bags, from which about seven hundred raincoats can be made. Additionally, we have made a few trips to the bakeries in Kumanovo to buy out whatever they have remaining in the early hours of the day. Finally, on an especially cold and gloomy Macedonian day, we went to a clothing store and walked away with three hundred pair of socks: one hundred for men, one hundred for women, and one hundred for children. Further donations will enable us to continue this endeavor to make for an easier passage.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with my story, I want to state briefly that I worked in the Republic of Macedonia for five weeks on a Fulbright Fellowship. The U.S. Embassy asked me to resign my position and leave the country on September 25, 2015, as my moral obligation to help was a distraction and not "the purpose" for my presence in Macedonia. However, I am currently working on my way back and will continue to put these valuable, extremely generous donations into the field. However, if I am unable to return, you can rest assured that your contribution will not be in vain: I am in touch with all of my close colleagues from the camp and will direct the funding to them for the immediate purchase of goods.