Spring is in the air!

The month of March brings the first spring days to Europe. Here on Lesvos, we have been lucky to already enjoy warmer temperatures and to admire leaves and flowers popping open around us. For many people, spring represents renewal, hope, new beginnings. For displaced populations, the milestones for celebrating and moments of hope are different, not necessarily seasonal. Still, one thing to note recently is the increase in arrivals across the borders, including to Lesvos. Consequently, an increased need for humanitarian work too.

Foliá's Cookbook

​March is the month of International Women’s Day celebrations. It goes without saying that being a woman alone or with children, on top of being displaced, and fleeing violence and poverty, is extremely challenging. In Folia, we celebrate their achievements. For this year’s Women’s Day, we published a cookbook with a multinational collection of their recipes. The book exists in electronic or hardcover form. Already over 25 people own it by now, with the donations so far totaling close to 800 EUR. It can still be yours, in case you run out of ideas on what to cook tonight and, even more so, if you want to contribute to much-needed renovation of Folia and improve the living conditions of its residents. We estimate that the most urgent work will cost around 2000 EUR. Donate for the cookbook

Movie night OFC girls

​Sport is a tool for the development and empowerment of young women in our latest project, the girls' football club. A month ago, a team of 18 young footballers from Somalia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq started training together once a week. By summer they should be ready to play a few friendly matches against similar local teams. We are excited already! On International Women Day, however, they did not play but watched football on screen. A very successful movie night with popcorn and soft drinks took place in our OpenSpace with the screening of “Bend It Like Beckham”.

Fitness and Self-Defense Class

​Many people working with the displaced communities will tell you about the strength and resilience of women they meet. We also believe in building on it, so once a week we offer fitness and self-defense classes to a mixed group of our Folia residents and local women. Building bridges between local community and refugee population is at the core of Starfish mission. This hour of empowerment and fun brings together 8 women from at least 5 different countries, providing them also some time away from daily chores and from thinking about their worries. You are very welcome to join us. The classes are every Friday at 5PM at OpenSpace.

Little x Little by Global Giving

​From April 3-7, when you give up to $50 to support our OpenBike project, @globalgiving will match your generosity at 50% for the Little x Little campaign. - Big change can come from small acts of kindness -