My friend recommended that I use Indigo to explore volunteering for humanitarian grassroots projects.
I do not have any unique qualifications – I am not a teacher, nor a social worker, nor am I a medical professional. But, I have always wanted to volunteer, and I knew I could be a useful extra pair of hands in areas that require humanitarian assistance. I personally felt compelled to help with the ongoing European refugee crisis, as it is saddening to hear how thousands of people fleeing from conflict and violence are still stuck in transit and are still having to endure unsustainable living conditions. Thus, getting in touch with Indigo was the magical way of mobilising me to take action, as they offer a large number of Refugee and Migrant projects in France, Serbia, Bosnia and Greece.
With Indigo, the whole application process was really easy and straightforward. Once I communicated how my skills could be of use, I was put in touch with Refugee4Refugees within a matter of days. R4R runs a number of humanitarian projects, but its core focus is to provide essential non-food items such as clothes, tents and hygiene items to refugees and asylum seekers in the Aegean Islands. It was exactly what I was looking for; an opportunity to tangibly assist refugees, and to work alongside people from all walks of life who are willing to do what they can to change individual worlds.
It is definitely worth mentioning that the Indigo team were supportive and easily accessible throughout my volunteering process. From receiving check-ins from the team before boarding my plane to Samos, to checking up on how I was acclimatising to my volunteer placement. I never felt alone or overwhelmed during my entire experience!