After finishing my Master’s Degree earlier this year, I decided that I needed an adventure. I ended up in Northern Greece, where for the past two months, I’ve been working for Second Tree, an NGO working with refugees across Europe.
Second Tree provides an English education to both adults and children living in refugee camps. We make sure that everyone has what they need to succeed, from backpacks and stationery to English language certificates and the ability to advocate for themselves. But much more than that, Second Tree is working to change the narratives surrounding refugees everywhere. Too often, refugees are painted as either villains, savages, or victims because of their circumstances. These narratives disguise the fact that refugees are just ordinary people who deserve human rights, an education, and to be treated as the individual they are, like everybody else.
Most of my role at Second Tree is behind the scenes: contributing to the research that is the foundation of our organisation, working on international projects that are improving migration policy, and getting in contact with decision makers who can help us spread our message far and wide. However, the most exciting part of my job is getting to organise and take part in community events, such as sports days, market trips, scouts excursions, and even a trip to a local cave! I’ve loved getting to know the members of our community, and talking with them, not just about their experiences in camp, but about lots of other things – volleyball, colouring, a shared love of pomegranates, and the things we want out of life.
Second Tree is kept alive by a small team of around 20 people, and though we all work incredibly hard to improve the circumstances for the refugees we work with, our limited resources mean we can’t do as much as we would like. With your help, we can provide education to more people in the camps, and we can help our community build the future they want.
As my birthday is coming up, I’d like it if instead of giving me a present, you gave a small donation to Second Tree. Even a small amount could help us fund new programmes that could help the refugees in our community access the opportunities they need to build their futures.
-Emily
