March 2024 Monthly Report

With preparations for Ramadan beginning at the start of March, and with the number of meals increasing, March has been a busy month for us all at the centre. In March 2024, we at Wave served 3,835 hot meals, distributed 609 clothing items, 13 sleeping bags and blankets and 720 hygiene items, ran 129 showers, charged 284 phones and powerbanks, and washed 114 loads of laundry. In the past month, we supported 37 people detained in Pre-Removal Detention Centres with clothing, hygiene items and coffee.

Ramadan

On the 10th of March Ramadan celebrations began at Wave thanks to the generosity of so many through their donations. We adjusted our operating hours to ensure two distributions of food – one for community members not observing Ramadan served earlier in the day, and another for our population fasting served at sunset. Our committed volunteers have been working tirelessly to accommodate longer hours and prepare special dishes for Iftar and Suhoor.

Celebrating Ramadan indoors for a second consecutive year is of great significance to our community, many of whom are observing far away from family, friends, often in unstable and challenging living conditions. Our store room has been turned into a prayer room equipped with prayer mats offering a private space for our community members to practise the spiritual reflection and connection that Ramadan celebrates.

Hosting Ramadan communally indoors for a second year is a special opportunity, which would not have been feasible without the generosity of many who enabled us to buy dates and milk traditionally used to break the fast, as well as costly items such as meat, honey, halva, spices, cheese and butter. With these ingredients, our volunteers have been making traditional dishes, soups, sweets and drinks. We express deeply our gratitude to all of those who donated. Ramadan Mubarak to our community and all those observing!

Visit from Firefly Hope Project

In mid-March, we welcomed a visit from Firefly Hope Project, a German-based organisation who have supported us greatly in the past with material donations and distributions. We were delighted when Natalie from the project reached out to us to ask if they could visit us once more. Sourcing material goods locally in Thessaloniki, the team distributed a bagful of essential items including a rain jacket, t-shirt, hygiene items and biscuits to everyone visiting the centre that day. At Wave, we constantly struggle to source and distribute these items to our community, making their visit not only timely but vastly appreciated by all. Thank you Firefly Hope for the visit and your continued support!

Sleeping Bag Donation

As springtime welcomes higher temperatures in Thessaloniki during the day, at night it remains persistently cold. These daily drops in temperature can bring significant challenges to our community, especially those who reside in precarious living structures, leaving them vulnerable to the effects of oscillating temperatures. Fortunately, at the end of March, we received a timely and apt donation from a contact in Augsburg e.V. who heard about our struggle to support our community with sleeping bags and blankets. Thanks to our contact in Augsburg e.V., their generous donation will enable us to purchase sleeping bags for our community, extending our support to those who need it most. A big thank you from all of us at Wave!