Meet the Chios team

It is an exciting time of growth for Eurorelief. In May we are launching a team of eight long-term volunteers to start operations on Chios, which is a North Aegean island between Lesvos and Samos. We sat down with two of the team members to get to know them and hear their thoughts as they prepare for the big move to Chios. 

Griffin is from Indiana, United States. He has been involved with Eurorelief for almost four years and moved to Greece two and a half years ago to serve long term with Eurorelief. He is currently based on Lesvos. 

Myrthe is from the Netherlands and came to Lesvos for the first time in 2021 for five weeks. After that she decided to come back and stayed for one year. Since then she has served with Eurorelief several times, including in Türkiye and again on Lesvos. She is currently in the Netherlands. 

What is a typical day like in your role with Eurorelief?

Griffin: I have worked on the Social Care team since I moved here long term. The team meets together to start the day, checking in and discussing our plans for the day. Then I go over my caseload: checking if there are any new arrivals that I need to visit, seeing which ones have a high priority and looking at reoccurring cases to see if follow up is needed. Next I check in with the residents that I am assigned. I make notes and do referrals to legal, medical or psychological actors. Since the beginning of last summer, I have the additional role of Social Development Lead on our team. This means more intensive case management, advocacy project management together with other actors and team development, training and supporting the team in coming up with their own projects to support residents.

What motivates you to serve refugees?

Myrthe: In the Netherlands there are a lot of different opinions about refugees and it hurts when people talk bad about people they have never met. It is a privilege to be born here, not a choice. We can learn a lot of things from each other. It is meaningful to be close to people who have experienced a lot of difficult things. You can’t do much but be present. It is good to get out of our bubble and see the needs around us. I learned so much from my time on Lesvos, especially from the residents there. 

How do you measure the success of your role within Eurorelief?

Griffin: We always collect numbers at the end of the week of how many people we engaged with, including visits in the camp and people who come to our office to ask questions. However, I don’t think success can only be measured by numbers. I think I would measure the success of the team by our consistency and our quality. Are we truly meeting the needs of people in camp at the time they need it? The population changes, laws change, the situation in camp changes…how well are we meeting the needs of the moment? I think even a step further, are we doing it out of compassion and love, meeting residents where they are at and where they need to be met?

Can you explain why Eurorelief decided to start a new operational site on Chios? 

Myrthe: Camp Vial feels forgotten. It has not been on the news as much as Lesvos and Samos. The camp is in a remote part of the island, difficult to access and far from everything else. There is not much to do in the camp, many organisations left during Covid.

What do you expect your role on Chios will look like? 

Griffin: I don’t know and in one way I think that’s really cool. Our team will go and figure out what is needed and I’m sure there is a place where my skills and passions will fit in. But right now I am not sure what I will be doing, especially because I don’t have much experience in areas we will likely start with. But who’s to say I can’t learn and figure it out, or maybe I will find a new area that I’m passionate about or good at. I am looking forward to figuring out where I can fit in and serve!

What will be Eurorelief’s areas of focus on Chios? 

Myrthe: We are looking at many different opportunities, probably starting with education and maintenance. Once we are in camp and get permission, the possibilities are endless. We would love to do community engagement, activities for children and adults, sports and maintenance. For now the biggest thing they asked us is to please bring some joy to camp. And that should be the main focus. 

What is your proudest accomplishment from your time serving on Lesvos?

Griffin: The ability to use language here. I started learning Greek because I really wanted to be able to talk to my neighbours and the people I was living life alongside. It also came in handy working with Greek staff in camp and reading through legal and medical documents. I have also been learning Dari. It has been really cool seeing progress in my understanding of both languages and also how differently I use each one based on the context, like explaining legal processes in Dari versus ordering food or having a conversation in Greek. Unexpectedly, I’ve also had the opportunity to use American Sign Language with some residents in camp. 

How do you handle the challenges of working in a multicultural environment? 

Myrthe: Open communication and being aware of our prejudices. In the Netherlands we are very direct. It is good to be honest with one another if there are difficulties or we don’t understand each other. I think it is nice that we are a small team and will get to know each other fast. Open communication is the key and to always be willing to learn from one another.

What is something you will miss about Lesvos? 

Griffin: I will miss the connections that I have built here, my Greek neighbours and friends. I will miss the wide network on Lesvos. My role the past two years has involved close connection to other actors, including other NGOs and Greek camp staff in many different departments. I will also really miss the big community of volunteers on Lesvos, not just within Eurorelief but also from other organisations. 

What is something you look forward to about Chios? 

Myrthe: Doing work again that I do with my heart. Working with people from other nationalities and different cultures. Working in a team, doing good things together and hoping to make a difference for the people in camp. 

Griffin: I am really excited for all the new things. I enjoy the dreaming stage, thinking about all the possibilities for the new site and the areas we could potentially fill. Eurorelief has a lot of experience as an organisation on two islands and through other projects. We have learned from the past. I am looking forward to using all these things to start this site and adapt it to the needs there.  

How can people be praying for the new site on Chios? 

Myrthe: Pray for a smooth transition for the team, more opportunities to start something in or outside of camp, that people’s hearts are softened to us being there and of course for funding. Opportunities will be determined by our materials and funding.

Interested in hearing more about Eurorelief’s vision for Chios? Reach out to us here.