WHAT WE DO
This year we are changing things up! We are currently working on two projects in two different camps. One project will be carried out in Moria, Greece and the other in Calabar, Nigeria. Read on for more information!
OUR PROJECTS THIS YEAR
This year we are planning to realise two projects, one in Moria camp, in Greece and one in the Bakassi camp near Calabar, in Nigeria.
GREECE
For many refugees, Greece is a shelter from the dangers they are facing in their home countries. With its location very close to Turkey, Lesvos, in particular, has been a hotspot for the arrival of refugees crossing the Mediterranean. Most areas in Lesvos are still not properly equipped to host the estimated 20,000 refugees on the island, lacking access to some basic services, such as electricity, sanitation and heating, resulting into degrading living conditions.
Our project this year in Moria camp will be our second in that camp. For this project we have teamed up with Eurorelief, which is an NGO in charge of management of the camp and the provision of basic services, to create a solar lighting system. As many sections of the camp are in the dark at night, a solar lighting system has the potential to greatly improve the security in the camp. Furthermore, there is will be lower dependence on the unstable and largely fossil fuel powered local electricity grid. Therefore, the system designed in a way that is beneficial from a humanitarian, environmental and financial point of view.
NIGERIA
According to the UNHCR, Nigeria currently houses over 2 million refugees who have left their country of origin or region of origin within Nigeria for various reasons. One of these reasons is the discrimination Nigerians on the Bakassi peninsula have been facing after the peninsula was handed over to Cameroon in 2008. The hand-over took place due to a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 2002 in Cameroon's favour, which attempted to settle the decades-long border conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon. A part of the Nigerians fleeing from the Bakassi peninsula found refuge in the Bakassi IDP Camp near Calabar.
The Bakassi IDP Camp began to take in refugees since 2015 and hosts approximately 8,500 households. Unfortunately, the camp lacks the basic provision of water and electricity, with only remote access to water of bad quality and the absences of proper lighting. While water of bad quality raises urgent health concerns, the absence of lighting is especially critical for the safety of the women and children in the camp. Therefore, based on these needs of the camp, our project in Calabar aims for the installation of a solar-street lighting solution together with and a solar-powered water pumping and purification system
