Help support refugees, helping in an NGO in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Details

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  Description

  We are a registered NGO set up in early 2017 to provide a unified response to the humanitarian crisis in the Balkans. We work alongside partners such as MSF and Help Refugees to provide clothing and other essential services to refugees and migrants living in, and outside of, camps around Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  
  Due to the numbers of refugees and migrants increasing in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the last year, the government have recently opened transit camps in the north of the country and two near Sarajevo. In the two Sarajevo camps there are currently around 2500 residents in total. There is still not enough space in the camps for all of the people stuck in the country. In Sarajevo, there are many refugees and migrants sleeping outside and in squats.
  
  More than 2,000 people have entered into Bosnia & Herzegovina since the beginning of the year. The lack of structure and the rise of arrivals over the past year urges us to continue our aid.
  
  Our projects are ever-changing, so we ask volunteers to be flexible and open-minded! At the moment we are running an outreach distribution project. We are providing clothes and basic hygiene items to the street population residing outside of formal camp accommodation and residents of the camps nearby.
  
  NOTE: We have a minimum age of 21 years old, some exceptions are made for those who have worked with refugee's and asylum seekers before.
  
  ****Van driving experience preferable****

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Not only is this a great opportunity to develop and share your skills, but you can directly see the difference that your work makes to the lives of the people you are helping.
  
  Based on the feedback we often get, volunteering with us can be a unique experience. You’ll quickly be part of a team that deeply cares about the work we do and actively works towards the same goal. This brings a certain degree of responsibility: as people in need rely on us, the work we do comes with a sense of urgency. We work to a professional standard which means completing work on time and doing so in a way that is appropriate in the context of what it means to deliver humanitarian aid. You’ll be provided with various documents and briefings to ensure this level of professionalism can be upheld so there is no need to worry if you don’t have any previous experience working in this field.
  
  We ask for open minded and dedicated volunteers. Spending your time helping others is rewarding, and doing it alongside volunteers who share the values of solidarity and caring for people in need adds to the experience. We work hard, and it is not always glamorous, but at the end of the day - when everyone is fed and the last dish is done, there is an incredible feeling of accomplishment.
  
  In your first message, please explain why you would like to come volunteer with us, if you have any past experience of community work/humanitarian aid experience, or any other special skills that you think might be relevant.

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  Help

  You will be joining our teams in our warehouses and on street distributions around Sarajevo. The work may include sorting, folding, and organising clothes and helping get ready for NFI distributions as well as the actual distributions themselves.
  
  As our projects can change and new projects can begin quite quickly,we are always looking for flexible hard workers! Volunteers with a driver's license (manual) and experience driving a van is a plus! We would also love to hear from anyone with experience working in social media, fundraising, or graphic design.
  
  We have a lot of experience in providing food and non-food items for refugees and migrants. We understand what structures are needed to provide aid, but it can take a lot of time and effort due to the unpredictable nature of this work. This means that we need our volunteers to stay open minded and flexible. We try to play to everybody’s strengths as much as possible, but some days may have a rather “all hands on deck” approach to them.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  We have a house located between the city centre of Sarajevo and the transit camp. We ask that everyone is mindful of making too much noise and respectful of the house we live in.
  
  All the rooms are mixed gendered shared with either bunk or single beds. There are two bathrooms, one kitchen, and a big communal living room. We have a big garden which everyone can use and we are a short-walking distance from the nearest town. The city centre of Sarajevo can be easily reached by public transport. Please note access to the house is by a set of stairs.
  
  We provide at least one meal per day for volunteers. This may come from leftover food that we cook throughout the day or evening meals that we take turns cooking for everyone. For the rest of your time, the cost of living (particularly food) is relatively low in the Balkans so it doesn't take much to live here comfortably. There are supermarkets, bakeries, kiosks and restaurants within walking distance of our house.
  
  We ask volunteers for 5€ (10 KM) per night to stay in our accommodation. All revenue from this goes directly into covering bills and household supplies as well as funding our projects. We require a minimum stay of one month to ensure proper planning and training and to keep a level of consistency in our work, for this reason we really value and appreciate volunteers that can stay 2 or more months.

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  What else ...

  Living and working so closely together creates somewhat of a family atmosphere and we usually share our evening meal together. This allows us to talk about the day’s work and explore thoughts and feelings about how everything is going.
  
  In your time off there are plenty of interesting cultural and natural places to visit. Sarajevo has a beautiful old centre and offers stunning views of the surrounding hills with plenty of opportunities to escape into the mountains and nature! It's a truly wonderful place to live.
  
  Due to the nature of the work, we ask that volunteers stay a minimum of 6-8 weeks and be 21 years of age or older.
  
  Please download Signal before coming to volunteer with us!

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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  This host charges a fee

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  Why does workaway.info allow listings of hosts who charge money?

  In developing countries (Where most hosts are involved in charity work or community development) some of our hosts may ask for a small donation to help the host family or charity (often less then 5 dollars per day) Workaway will allow this listing when the donation goes directly to the family or charity and is just to cover the cost of the volunteer‘s stay.  (This will be clearly marked on the host listing).
  We will strictly not allow listings posted by agents, “middle men” or projects who we feel are looking to profit from a volunteers stay.
   

   

   

  5€ a day contribution towards accommodation and food

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