From Top: Alpha Land; Alessia shows us the tent; Alessia and Jen in the free shop
We told you that we would and then we didn’t. Why? It’s a great story of humanitarian collaboration.
A few years ago, the mammoth global relief organization Doctors Without Borders gave the Greek aid team Samos Volunteers a hand-me-down multipurpose tent to erect at Alpha Land, an activity center for residents of a nearby camp. At Alpha Land, the old tent enjoyed a successful second life as a recreational and activity space. Over time, however, the fierce weather conditions at that mountaintop location took a toll. By the time Humanity Now visited last April, the tent leaked badly and was covered with unhealthy mold. Clearly, it was ready for retirement, so Humanity Now provided $5,000 from our donor funding to cover the purchase of a new tent to protect visitors from the elements for the next few years.
Then, a few weeks ago, we received some news from Alessia Contiello, Samos Volunteers’ project manager. Preparing to make the purchase, her team had reached out to Doctors Without Borders for the name of a tent supplier. Instead of giving a recommendation, however, Doctors Without Borders offered to replace the tent! This was a welcome surprise for all of us. Alessia and her team planned to set up the new tent right away.
Suddenly, Humanity Now had a lovely problem: What should Samos Volunteers do with our $5000 grant? After some discussion with Alessia, we turned our focus to summer clothing. The team’s free shop had run out of shorts for men, a serious problem during the searing Greek summer. “It’s already pretty warm,” Alessia told us. “People are in urgent need.”
At its weakest, humanitarian relief is a conglomeration of disparate aid teams who work independently and compete for funds. But at its best, teams recognize their shared mission and collaborate to fulfill their goals. Even a behemoth institution like Doctors Without Borders becomes more effective when it shares resources with “little guy” NGOs like Samos Volunteers. And Humanity Now’s funding goes even farther because we’re part of that ecosystem. By working together, all three organizations have expanded their reach. That collaboration is making a difference in the lives of displaced people this summer.
We Recommend:
We hope you have some time this month to lie in a hammock with a page-turner. If you’re looking for suggestions, we recommend Amy Bloom’s 2007 novel Away, a beautifully written and constantly interesting story that examines the hardship and disorientation of displacement. This historical novel, which takes place in the 1920s, follows Russian pogrom survivor Lillian Leyb as she makes her way across the United States in search of her daughter. In a New York Times review, Janet Maslin wrote, “Alive with incident and unforgettable characters, [Away] sparkles and illuminates as brilliantly as it entertains.” In these times of vitriol toward foreigners, the novel reminds us that we are, in fact, a nation of immigrants, and that it’s their pluck and resilience that have made America a great country.
