Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions. If your question still remains unanswered, please get in touch with us via email.
The #LeaveNoOneBehind campaign was started in March 2020 in response to the inhumane conditions at the European external borders during the upcoming Covid-19 pandemic. The Corona virus affects especially those who already living under tough circumstances. Among them are the refugees at our EU external borders, the homeless, elderly, and sick people. The corona crisis has pushed the sufferings of those seeking protection, of the violence and the humanitarian catastrophe into the background. And yet it is especially important to stick together in just these times. Therefore, we strike to face this challenge together.
We see ourselves as a platform for a movement that wants to leave no one behind in the crisis and stands for a humane asylum policy. The #LeaveNoOneBehind campaign was initiated by well-known people and other individuals. Today it is supported by tens of thousands of people who participate in and organize actions and manifestations, by humanitarian and political organizations and artists. Legally, the non-profit association civilfleet-support e.V. carries the campaign, and organizes actions and donation distribution for charity projects. In addition, the association employs a small team in Berlin and on the EU’s external borders, so that the donations effectively reach the local population and the campaign continues to be fed with ideas and action.
Only by standing together we can continue to draw attention to the conditions at the EU’s external borders and change them. This is our all responsibility. Join us in becoming active and visible. This is what you can do to contribute:
• Increase the pressure on politicians by participating in protests, organize events yourself or write to your deputy (https://support.kabulluftbruecke.de/en/write-to-delegates/ ). An overview of current events can be found here: https://support.kabulluftbruecke.de/en/demo-calendar-of-actions/
• Donation for aid projects at the EU external borders: https://support.kabulluftbruecke.de/en/donate/
• We are continuously working on further actions about which you will be the first to know via our Telegram Channel. Be there, inform yourself and others about the latest news: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAFYD-WHYA8miDrto8A
Our goal is that all of you who share our basic idea will find a connection through #LeaveNoOneBehind in order to change things together. Establish contacts to refugees, organize donations in goods or join a group that is planning actions on site: There are endless possibilities to get involved. We want to work together with you to use these possibilities.
Throughout Europe there are numerous organizations and initiatives that stand up for our goals. They are always looking for support in different areas. We have created a map where you can find organizations in your area where you can get involved: https://support.kabulluftbruecke.de/en/european-initiatives/.
Great, feel free to send us a mail! Then we can inform you about various possibilities. Just tell us directly what you would like to do and which organizations you have already found in order to become active on site.
There are many different collection campaigns that regularly bring relief supplies to the EU’s external borders or donate to homeless people. Sometimes it is not very helpful to send a few old T-shirts to Greece, as most of them are easily available locally. But there are also very concrete needs on the ground. At the moment we are working on building a network of organizations and naming concrete contact points. Until then, and beyond, you can enter your donations of goods into our tool. Even if you are part of an organization, willing to register needs, you can register there: https://support.kabulluftbruecke.de/en/donations-in-kind-needs-list/.
There are numerous organizations and initiatives working at the European external borders, supporting people on the move every day. On the spot, we support them in their crucial work. We also organize campaigns with high publicity in order to maintain and increase political pressure at national as well as European level. Currently, after the fire in Moria and the devastating situation in the Greek camps, aid projects on the Greek islands are in the focus.
For the support of larger projects we work together with the Foundation Fund Civil Sea Rescue. There, a team of representatives of Sea-Watch, Seebrücke, civilfleet-support e.V., Sea-Eye and “Solidarity at Sea” decides on the allocation of funds. There, organizations can submit applications for concrete projects. The non-profit status of the respective applicants and the administration of the funds is ensured by GLS-Treuhand. Through a transparent process with a high level of expertise, we guarantee that the money flows into projects that really make a difference.
Here you can find a selection of the projects supported by the fundraising campaigns up to now:
https://support.kabulluftbruecke.de/en/funded-projects/
We send out donation receipts in the spring of the following year. Generally you do not need a donation receipt for the tax office for donations up to 200 Euro. Therefore, it is not necessary to issue donation receipts for amounts up to 200 Euro. For the proof of the donation, a self-generated account or online bank printout is sufficient. It is important that your name, account number and our data, as well as the date of the transaction and the amount are visible. If you urgently need a donation receipt, please contact us at kontakt@civilfleet.org
Worldwide there are about 79.5 million people on the flight. More than half of them seek protection within their countries of origin. 4.2 million people are asylum seekers. A large proportion of people on the move find protection in countries of the global South: Columbia (1.8 million), Pakistan (1.4 million), Uganda (1.4 million), Turkey (3.6 million).
The escape route across the Mediterranean is the deadliest in the world. According to the UNHCR, 78,435 people fled across the Mediterranean between January and 16 November 2020. 850 have officially drowned or have been declared missing – the number of unreported cases is probably much higher. You can find current figures here: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean
On the Aegean islands of Leros, Samos, Lesvos, Kos and Chios, there are around 20,000 people currently living in completely overcrowded camps.
Your donations will be used locally for organizations and projects that provide help as well as to draw attention to the situation. Thereby we take care that the money is not used for the construction of a “new Moria”.
We are supporting associations and volunteers on Lesvos and the Greek islands in providing support to people on the run and enabling them to live a humane life. Under no circumstances we want to be involved in structures that help the European Union and its member states to confine people in tents for years. A new Moria does not improve the situation on Lesvos, it recreates the problem. In the meantime we observe that the situation is even worse than before: the first rain has flooded the camp Kara Tepe. Neither shelter, nor schooling, food supply, nor fire protection are guaranteed. Everyone has the right to a fair asylum procedure and a future perspective. We do not create these prospects by rejecting our responsibility and imprisoning people on the run in camps on islands. A reallocation of people to the European member states is necessary to ease the local situation and find a long-term solution.