I’ve been living in Greece and working for an NGO called Second Tree since 2020. 

In the 4 years that I have been here, Second Tree has grown. We’re taking on new challenges and embarking on (many!) new adventures. Not only are we still providing English classes and weekly trips for refugee kids and adults here in Greece, but we’ve also started: self-advocacy classes, Greek community events for refugees to get to know the locals, and training other organisations in the work that we do. 

At Second Tree we have a way of doing things that sets us apart. Often well-intentioned people who work in the humanitarian field can have a victimising approach to working with refugees; where refugees are romanticised as heroes, patronised as victims or stereotyped and simply reduced to products of where they come from. These assumptions or biases that almost always come from a good place can be just as problematic as the biases we see in right-wing media and politicians. We want to do things differently. 

We want to (big dream incoming!) change the way that the humanitarian sector in Europe sees refugees. We want refugees to be treated as capable, reasonable, unique individuals who should be held accountable for their actions. I’ve been involved in the training of other organisations in our ‘way of doing things’ (officially called our community engagement model) which we’ve named RAP: Refugees Are People. It’s been an eye-opening and illuminating experience and I really want it to continue! 

I want Second Tree to keep making a mark on the world – please help me do that by donating this Christmas.