As many of you already know, we are in the midst of a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. Many refugees that are fleeing the ongoing violence in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan seek asylum within the European Union. A large percentage of these refugees enter Europe via dangerously overcrowded boats destined for the Greek Island of Lesvos. For many, Lesvos is where they are first registered and given travel visas to continue their journey to other European nations. There are many volunteer organizations actively working on the island to help the humanitarian needs of the thousands of refugees that come everyday. Unfortunately, these organizations are underfunded, understaffed and are struggling to deal with the humanitarian crisis that is taking place on the island. From reading first hand accounts from volunteers on the island, thousands of people are wet, hungry and people are dying from not receiving medical attention. The situation on the island is truly grim. Detailed information on the refugee crisis in Lesbos can be found here: http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-island-of-refugeesMy name is Max Wlodarczak, I am from Raleigh, North Carolina and recently graduated from Appalachian State University. My friend EB and I have been backpacking through Europe and are currently in Athens, Greece. After reading accounts of the situation in Lesvos, and seeing first hand the many refugee camps that are located throughout Europe, we have decided that we have an obligation to help in what is the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. We are headed to Lesbos tonight (October 25th) via ferry and are planning on meeting with an organization there to begin volunteering. The organizations on the island do not have resources to house or feed volunteers, they barely have resources to house and feed the refugees that they are trying to help. Due to a lack of resources, volunteers must find their own housing, food, and transportation. Currently, we are paying for all of our own expenses out of pocket. While we will be volunteering regardless of the outcome of this LFEBridge we wanted to offer an option for people to donate to this cause. If you would prefer to donate directly to the volunteer organizations you can follow this link: http://lesvosvolunteers.com/money/While donations of money, food, and clothes are very helpful, from what we have heard from the organizations on Lesvos is that there is a real need for volunteers on the Island. If you would like to donate to help fund our personal volunteer expenses including, ferry ticket to Lesvos, basic accommodation on the island, food, etc. we would greatly appreciate it. Any money we receive that goes over these basic costs will be given directly to organizations in Lesvos. In return we will provide updates on how the money is being used, what the current situation on the island is, and any other relevant information. If you have any questions or just want to speak to me directly feel free to contact me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/max.wlodarczakWe will continue to add information as we can…but right now we have a ferry to catch in an hour.Related: http://lesvosvolunteers.com/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KBPNoW1fNvDdmmzCyc3yMBBGJ5V21s-EP0yxQY4K990/edithttps://www.facebook.com/groups/volunteers.coordination/
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