Help me help #SyrianRefugees
Donation protected
As a lifelong activist there have been many times over the years that I wanted to pick up and just go--go where the need was greatest and do what I could to help. Now, for the first time in 35 years, I don't have another living being directly dependent on my day-to-day care. Now, for the first time, it's in the realm of possibility for me to go where the need is truly horrific and do what I can to help.
But I can't do it alone. I need your help. As a grass roots volunteer in Lesvos, Greece, I need to raise money to fund the trip and bring sorely needed supplies. If I could afford to just buy a ticket I would, but I can't. I would be super excited to represent you and your caring, though, if you help me get there with suitcases full of those silver warmth blankets, new clean socks, medical supplies, and whatever else those already on the ground ask for.
Three weeks before my proposed departure date (January 10, 2016), the volunteers and coordinators already on the ground will send me a list of what items are most needed. Blankets, socks, and medical supplies are always on the list.
Transportation, including airfare from San Francisco to Greece, and local transport to where I'm needed, will cost in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $1,500, +/-. If I fly directly to the closest airport of Mitilini it's $1,500, but if I fly into Athens, it will be $900 plus local transport, which I think would be less. However, we all know that airline tickets go up the closer you get to your travel dates, so tickets might run a little higher.
The organizers assist in housing while in Greece, but it would be nice nonetheless to offer my hosts some compensation. Meals are my own responsibility of course, but help with food costs would be great since I will be working for free for the next 5 months.
All other money collected will be used to buy supplies.
In order to avoid large tarriffs and slow transport, volunteers are asked to bring supplies in their luggage.
Medical supplies and blankets will be my main US expenditures for supplies. I'd like to buy local whatever I can in Greece though, because their economy--already suffering--is being hit hard by this refugee crisis.
Space blankets sell for about a dollar a piece, and they're small. I'd like to bring as many as possible. Medical supplies are much more expensive. A single roll of bandage gauze, for example, is about $4; a bottle of 500 ibuprofen about $14.
The need is enormous. About 12 million Syrians have fled the brutal and destructive war in their land, leaving everything behind. About half of them are children.
Can you imagine cramming yourself and your family into a small boat and launching into the sea with no idea of what will happen? They only make this decision because to stay would likely mean certain death.
I want to help. I know a lot of you want to help. I don't have money, but I have my hands and my heart. I have time. Help me get there and serve as a proxy for all of you who want to help but are not in a position to drop everything and go. I promise to keep you all updated with words and pictures as often as possible.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring. Thanks for helping.
But I can't do it alone. I need your help. As a grass roots volunteer in Lesvos, Greece, I need to raise money to fund the trip and bring sorely needed supplies. If I could afford to just buy a ticket I would, but I can't. I would be super excited to represent you and your caring, though, if you help me get there with suitcases full of those silver warmth blankets, new clean socks, medical supplies, and whatever else those already on the ground ask for.
Three weeks before my proposed departure date (January 10, 2016), the volunteers and coordinators already on the ground will send me a list of what items are most needed. Blankets, socks, and medical supplies are always on the list.
Transportation, including airfare from San Francisco to Greece, and local transport to where I'm needed, will cost in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $1,500, +/-. If I fly directly to the closest airport of Mitilini it's $1,500, but if I fly into Athens, it will be $900 plus local transport, which I think would be less. However, we all know that airline tickets go up the closer you get to your travel dates, so tickets might run a little higher.
The organizers assist in housing while in Greece, but it would be nice nonetheless to offer my hosts some compensation. Meals are my own responsibility of course, but help with food costs would be great since I will be working for free for the next 5 months.
All other money collected will be used to buy supplies.
In order to avoid large tarriffs and slow transport, volunteers are asked to bring supplies in their luggage.
Medical supplies and blankets will be my main US expenditures for supplies. I'd like to buy local whatever I can in Greece though, because their economy--already suffering--is being hit hard by this refugee crisis.
Space blankets sell for about a dollar a piece, and they're small. I'd like to bring as many as possible. Medical supplies are much more expensive. A single roll of bandage gauze, for example, is about $4; a bottle of 500 ibuprofen about $14.
The need is enormous. About 12 million Syrians have fled the brutal and destructive war in their land, leaving everything behind. About half of them are children.
Can you imagine cramming yourself and your family into a small boat and launching into the sea with no idea of what will happen? They only make this decision because to stay would likely mean certain death.
I want to help. I know a lot of you want to help. I don't have money, but I have my hands and my heart. I have time. Help me get there and serve as a proxy for all of you who want to help but are not in a position to drop everything and go. I promise to keep you all updated with words and pictures as often as possible.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring. Thanks for helping.
Organizer
Sara Powell
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
