March 2026 - Monthly Report

At Wave in March 2026, we served 3,298 hot meals, welcomed 78 new arrivals, charged 167 phones and power banks, ran 108 showers, washed 74 laundry loads, and distributed 86 hygiene packages, and 106 clothing items. 

 

The total population we supported this month was 2,055.

 

March – numbers and operations

The month of March has kept our team busy: the holy month of Ramadan coincided with a rise in attendance to our Community Centre, reflected by a +40% increase in the total number of meals served in March compared to February. We have witnessed a steady increase in participation, with an average of 100-140 people coming to our Centre every opening day. The majority – around 50-60% – of our Community Members are residents of  the nearby camps of Diavata and Lagadikia, mainly from Sudan.

Around the end of March, due to the rising attendance, we had to put our indoor hot food distribution on hold once again. We switched to providing takeaway food only, so that everyone can take 1 takeaway on their way out of our Community Centre. Our decision was taken in order to prioritise the safety and security of everyone – avoiding overcrowding in the space – but at the same time to find balance between two of our main goals, with the resources we have available: we want to offer a safe and welcoming space to our Community as well as to guarantee that everyone can access our services in a fair and dignified way.

 

Community Needs Assessment
During the month of March, we have conducted a Needs Assessment in the form of an anonymous questionnaire, that around 55 Community Members filled up in different languages. It was first of all a great experience for us to get to know a little bit better the people who come to our centre, so that we can better understand how to support them and shape our operations. The main findings are:

– Only around 20% of people are coming to WAVE for more than three months – indicating high  community turnover;
– Mainly people  are coming for food and to spend time with their friends;
– 80% of respondents would like to be more engaged with the project and the space;
– People would be interested in expanding our resources for clothing/NFIs, educational classes (languages), and other social activities
.

 

Strategy Days
Our 2-day strategy meeting took place around the end of March in Thessaloniki. It was the perfect occasion for strengthening the bond within the team: not only were the current coordinators and board members present, but we extended the invitation to previous coordinators and to 2 representatives of the volunteers, in order to allow for the most inclusive and participative process possible. Possibly, the most positive aspect of the meeting was to acknowledge that everyone in the team shares very similar opinions on most topics, especially for the Mission and Vision and the Core Values of Wave.

We identified four priority areas we want to focus on in the upcoming 1-2 years, taking into account the feedback of the Board, the Coordination team, the Need Assessment from our Community and the feedback from our current and past Volunteers:

– More community involvement and engagement
– Better delegation and inclusiveness
– Transparency in roles and decision-making
– Enhanced safety in our Community Centre

For each area, we developed some SMART goals and assigned focal points: this will be the basis of our 2026-27 strategy.