The last months we have mostly been provinding updates and context regarding the broader situation on the island. This time however we thought it might be nice to provide and update on the current activities of NBK in times of Corona.

We where forced to stop distributing in the open, but that didn’t stop us from reaching the people that regurarly attend. We are still giving out food every day, to those who are left behind. We give out approximatly 200 meals a day to people and families on the move, and currently also local people who are in a vunerable position due to the restrictions on movement and threat of Corvid-19 in place in Greece.

We are still giving out foodboxes to migrants living in Mytillni that don’t receive any support from other sources. A foodbox consists of fresh vegatables, dry food, oil, tea and sugar. People receive them once a week and they are meant to supplement people’s costs of living. All of this is ofcourse done with the proper hygiene measeures in these times.

Like the rest of the world, Lesvos has been affected by Corona, even though as of the time of writing the amount of cases is relatively low. The restrictions placed on movement around the country forced us to heavely restructure our activities. It doesn’t mean we have to stop our activities alltogether. Dispite the current crisis plagueing the world, people still need support. Now even more then before. The situation in Moria has not improved. In fact it has become worse. But the problems that prevent the people from taking washing their hands every 5 minutes and keeping 1,5 meters distance are not new. They where there 6 months ago just the same. Corvid-19 does definitly pose a real tangeable threat to the people who are forced to live in the prison that is called Moria, but it only serves to underscore the structural problems that where present from the day it was openend.

No one knows how long this corona crisis will last, and the after effects are already promising to put an even greater strain on the already fragile situation at europe’s borders. These dark clouds looming on the horizon are not only gathering above Mytillini. We are always gratefull for the donations we receive, but we would also like to point out that there are many more places that need support right now, that often get overlooked. Lesvos is quite well known, and also Moria is a place that receives a lot of attention internationally. But lets not forget about Chios, Samos and Patras. Or Serbia or Calais, or many more. We stand in solidarity with the people who share our struggle, in times of corona, but also after.

As always,

Get Angry. Get Organised.