Community service:
Elisabeth shares her experiences from a month of volunteering
Our colleague Elisabeth spent a month volunteering on Lesbos and gained valuable experience, which she shared with us. At CaderaDesign, sustainability, also in social matters, is particularly important to us, so it was a matter of course for us to enable her to spend her free time doing charitable work. Her work was done through Eurorelief, a Greek NGO that has been active internationally since 2005. We asked her a few questions about her experiences because we were impressed by her commitment and would like to share the interview - maybe someone will be inspired by it and want to become active too.
💪 What exactly did you do on site, Elisabeth?
Elisabeth: My main task was to distribute food, whereby we paid particular attention to the safety and fairness of the distribution, especially for vulnerable groups. I also helped with the distribution of hygiene products and clothing, as well as organising and distributing donated items. I was also active in community programmes for women that promoted various skills such as tailoring and hairdressing.
📝 How did you prepare for your voluntary service?
Elisabeth: To prepare, I submitted documents and completed various online training courses. On site, I then took part in training sessions twice a week, which covered topics such as cultural competence and dealing with traumatic stories.
💡 How did you come up with the idea?
Elisabeth: I was made aware of the organisation by friends who had also worked with Eurorelief on Samos. Their stories were impressive. It is important to me to make a difference myself. I believe that the challenges of our time should be met with courage, love and prudence. Encounters and commitment to others can help to overcome fears.
🤗 How was your ‘everyday life’ on Lesbos?
Elisabeth: I lived in a shared flat near the place of assignment and met regularly with other volunteers in the organisation's office after work. I was particularly impressed by the hospitality of the Afghan women, who invited me for tea, and by the team spirit. The challenges of everyday life were not always easy, but I also realised how important it is to treat everyone with respect.
🤔 What particularly impressed you?
Elisabeth: I was surprised by the resilience of the refugees. The encounters on site gave me joy, even though I sometimes felt the gravity of the situation.
🚀 What did you take away for yourself?
Elisabeth: My assignment made me realise once again that everyone can do something, no matter where they are. I can imagine returning again, but I would also like to continue to get involved locally in Würzburg, where I look after a children's group in my free time, for example, and would like to look for other social initiatives that are close to my heart.