For my LiA, 2 other scholars and I went to the island of Chios in Greece, where we spent our summer volunteering at Offene Arme. Offene Arme, meaning ‘open arms’ is a German charity that runs a warehouse which supports Vial refugee camp in Chios. Chios is only a 20-minute ferry ride away from Turkey, but a world away for incoming asylum seekers. The people living in Vial have come a long way and have a long way to go. The way we supported them was by running a free shop giving away non-food items such as clothes and toiletries and organising weekly clothing distributions at the camp. Although our help may have felt insignificant in the grand scheme of things, even making a lasting difference for a few people is invaluable. 

After a long train ride to Heathrow and 2 arduous overnight flights, we finally arrived in Chios. Jetlagged and overheating, the last thing I wanted to do was start working. But as soon as the Offene Arme welcomed us with open arms and greeted us with some delicious Greek frappes, I got my energy back. After a quick induction and tour of the warehouse, I immediately fell in love. It was crystal clear to me that the team does everything in their power with limited resources to keep the warehouse running. We got straight to work, doing an assortment of jobs from folding baby clothes to greeting and assisting customers in the shop. With the team’s support, we quickly got into the swing of things.

Amid the enjoyment of our work, we faced several challenges which made me question how we approach leadership. Firstly, was the complexity of the warehouse operations. Offene Arme is the only non-food NGO on Chios island, meaning they have a huge responsibility to many people. This meant there were so many elements to keeping the warehouse running that we had to get used to. Balancing trying to take initiative and trying to become accustomed to the way things were run was not easy. It took patience, listening but also staying proactive to overcome this challenge.

The second challenge was communication with customers in the shop. A variety of languages are spoken in the camp, with the majority speaking Arabic. It was one challenge to explain to the customers which items they could take, and another when they may not understand why can’t take more than one thing. Unfortunately, donations and funding are limited, so we couldn’t give more items even when we wanted to. Remaining professional whilst assuaging their disappointment was an uncomfortable feeling, something I didn’t expect coming in, but I learnt to navigate.

One of the highlights of the experience for me were the weekly distributions at the camp. Each time we’d have a prior meeting to devise a ‘game plan’ as the distributions could get very hectic with so many people from the camp coming. The distributions were a very dynamic process, as it was hard to predict how many people would come and when, so we constantly had to re-arrange and make accommodations. To me, this was a very rewarding process, and we got to interact with so many residents from the camp face to face. Our last distribution was to give out toys, and I was in charge of the face painting section. Seeing that the kids were so enthused by a small butterfly on their cheek was such a joy to see.

There were many takeaways from my experience, all of which have changed the way I approach volunteering and leadership for the better. There’s one I would like to share and it’s that the little things matter. Although the help we gave was at the core and forefront of what Offene Arme does, it wouldn’t have been possible without the little things such as cleaning up the warehouse every day, making thank you notes to our donors and having a daily debrief with the team. These small actions make up the glue of the team and keeps everyone in high spirits and gives a sense of conviviality.

I am so grateful to the team at Offene Arme and the Laidlaw foundation for affording me an opportunity of a lifetime. To my surprise, I genuinely think this has made a lasting impact on my leadership skills and has instilled an aspiration to continue volunteering. I hope everyone’s experience has been as enriching as mine has!