Our Karawanis have returned home safely from Cyprus. The aid project shook us emotionally, because once again we had to witness how shabbily refugees are treated in Europe.

The fact that refugees in Cyprus receive virtually no state support and are also not allowed to work is completely incomprehensible and pointless for us. These facts make any new start extremely difficult for these people, who have already had to live through terrible things. They are forced to hold out in huge refugee camps and lose their prospects as a result of this hopelessness. With each passing day in these ghettos, their hope of an independent, dignified life in peace and freedom dwindles.

This makes it all the more important that we were able to provide direct local support with our donations in kind and money. The clown shows and painting workshops enabled us to create space for warm encounters at eye level. All these measures give joy and hope – what refugee families need most during their difficult time.

In concrete figures and measures this means:

• 21,100 € for our two partner organizations @refugeesupporteurope and @caritascyprus, who are doing great work in Cyprus.
• 2,800 for the purchase of urgently needed relief supplies (diapers, sanitary towels, shower gel, etc.).
• 14 clown shows for more than 700 refugees, including in the large refugee camps Pounara and Kofinou, in the Migrants Center in Nicosia, in the UN buffer zone, and much more.
• 16 mobile painting rooms for over 800 refugees: these “pop-up studios” give children and adults the opportunity to express themselves emotionally through self-painted pictures.
• In the end, we were able to distribute over 15 tons of donations in kind – the equivalent of 768 banana boxes plus 42 bicycles, 50 baby carriages, 300 blankets, 100 school bags and dozens of bicycles. The joy and gratitude of the recipients was immense!

And finally, the most important thing: THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS who feel part of the caravan through their donations, help and commitment to the good cause. Every one of our aid measures is only possible because of you and we are simply grateful for that!