OCTOBER 2024 MONTHLY REPORT

In October, we at Wave proudly served 2,037 hot meals, distributed 213 clothing items, 6 sleeping bags and blankets, and 787 hygiene kits, while also providing 124 showers, 145 phone and power bank charges, and 50 loads of laundry.

 

Team Updates and Monthly Highlights 

This month we sadly said goodbye to Emily, our Operations Coordinator for the past nine months!  Emily brought a wealth of experience, especially in community engagement,and made a huge impact on the project. Thank you Emily for your calm, level-headed approach and all your contributions. We wish you all the best in Calais!

On a positive note, we welcomed two new team members – Francisco as our Logistics Coordinator and Ronja as our new Operations Coordinator! Both bring valuable experience from diverse professional backgrounds and we’re excited to see the unique perspectives they’ll bring to the team.

After facing some difficulties with volunteer shortages, we’re delighted to have new volunteers join us this month, greatly increasing our capacity! This added support allows us to focus more on other tasks such as the clearing and organising of our free shop.

We also welcomed more visitors this month, with an increase in women and children — many of whom are arriving from camps around Thessaloniki, including new arrivals from Syria and Yemen. Our team has been busy playing Uno and table tennis with the children and it’s been lovely to see different communities come together to chop vegetables, cook, carry supplies, and keep the space clean.

Despite fluctuating visitor numbers, we do our best to minimise waste. On days when we prepare too much food, we use leftovers for the following day or distribute them as takeaway packages in the city at the end of the day. Although this is not a regular service, we’re happy that these meals reach people in need and allow us to share information about Wave with those who may not have visited our centre before.

Universal Plate Challenge

Once again, we joined the Universal Plate Challenge organised by Social Gastronomy Movement to raise awareness for Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. We took over Social Gastronomy’s Instagram account, sharing stories about our work and its impact. This was our third year participating and we hope to continue as it connects us with communities worldwide over the shared mission of food and sustainability.

Psychological First Aid Training

This month, we participated in a Psychological First Aid training facilitated by Esther, one of our volunteers and a trained psychologist with extensive experience in search and rescue organisations. The training was extremely useful, covering the fundamentals of Psychological First Aid and equipping us with tools and approaches for interacting with individuals who may have experienced traumatic situations. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us Esther!