JULY & AUGUST 2024 MONTHLY REPORTS

In July and August 2024, we at Wave served 4726 hot meals, distributed 331 clothing items, 6 sleeping bags & blankets and 1259 hygiene items, ran 285 showers, charged 431 phones and powerbanks and washed 84 laundry loads. Due to capacity issues, including a low number of volunteers and the demands of running a busy centre, we have paused our prison package service. However, with the support of Lifting Hands International, we are working through our backlog to ensure that people detained in Paranesti and Xanthi Pre-Removal Detention Centres still receive the material assistance they need.

July & August Updates

We were once again delighted to welcome Firefly Hope Project back to our centre in July. During their visit, they distributed backpacks, clothing and hygiene items to our community. They consistently check in with us beforehand to understand our community’s specific needs and to ensure they’re providing exactly what’s most essential. They also make it a point to purchase these items locally, helping to support small businesses in the city. With donations waning recently, this extra support has been a relief, allowing us to continue providing clothing to our community. In July we also bought a television for the community centre, thanks to the kind donation from Mohammad and Ali, who help run a food distribution program in London with Who is Hussain. They visited us at the end of June, spending the day helping with meal preparation and distribution and even found time for a game or two of ping pong! The new TV has been a huge hit with everyone enjoying a variety of shows — from football matches and National Geographic documentaries to SpongeBob. Thank you Ali and Mohammad for your thoughtful donation!

As climate change advances, we’ve felt the effects firsthand with intense and frequent heatwaves sweeping across the country, with July being one of the hottest months on record. For our community members who live in informal living arrangements, the soaring temperatures are a real challenge and can potentially cause health risks. Thankfully, we received a generous donation of fans, alongside some much-needed kitchen equipment and games, to help keep our community space cool.

At the end of July, we said goodbye to our logistics coordinator, Ruth, who has been with Wave for a year and a half. Ruth started as a volunteer while she studied here in Thessaloniki and quickly became an essential part of our team. We’ll miss her infectious energy, humour and creative cooking! Ruth, your dedication has been unmatched – thank you for everything you’ve contributed to the project and we wish you the very best with your next adventure!

In August, we temporarily closed the centre due to capacity constraints and used the time to develop strategies for outreach with other organisations to think about a shared collaboration in our space. With the changing demographic in our centre and with more women and children using our space, we want to adapt to the changing needs of our new demographic and ensure we’re supporting the community as holistically as we can. We also used the time to do a deep clean, thank you to our volunteers who came in during that time!

Increased Policing

Our community members, who are already over-policed, have reported a sharp increase in police presence both in the city and in the outskirts where they live. Racial profiling — an ongoing and pervasive issue — often leads to arrests, arbitrary detention and pushbacks. This heightened police presence leaves our undocumented community members particularly vulnerable to apprehension and detention. Many have shared with us that their living sites have been raided and they’ve been subsequently detained – some for a few hours and others overnight. This is the harsh reality they face, living under constant surveillance and subjected to disproportionate policing practices. Several community members have recently been detained in Xanthi and Paranesti Pre-Removal Detention Centres. The use of arbitrary detention in Greece serves as a punitive measure to criminalise people-on-the-move and to deter future arrivals. At Wave, we firmly believe in the right to free mobility for all and advocate for safe, accessible pathways for people making their way to Europe.