Beskrivelse af organisationen

Asterias -Starfish started in November 2014 in Mithymna (Molyvos), as an informal voluntary local group, aiming to meet the basic human needs of food, clothing, and care for hygiene, for immigrant refugees who were coming from time to time at the harbor of the village by themselves or by the Coast Guard Police who had rescued them at sea.
By mid -May 2015, the Port Authority of Molyvos was responsible for the initial recording, detention, preservation and transportation of the refugees-immigrants arriving in our area. As a result of the steadily rising flows and the lack of infrastructure and personnel of the Coast Guard, hundreds of people crowded in the harbor area waiting for their departure with the Port and Police buses.
At this point, Asterias-Starfish, with the help of locals and tourists, took the initiative to create a rustic reception area for immigrant refugees in adjacent fields, placing awnings for sun protection and providing, besides basic food, clothing and simple medicines (when needed), mats, blankets and sleeping bags in case of overnight stays. In cooperation with the municipal community of Molyvos, the team of Asterias -Starfish opened the public toilet at the port and undertook the operation and maintenance in order to manage the hygiene issues.
In July, the transfer of refugee-immigrants with private buses started, which was compensated by various organizations ,initially Médecins Sans Frontières, followed by UNHCR , IRC and Asterias -Starfish in some cases. However, arrivals have now reached 1000-1500 people a day only in our area, with the result that bus stops were often insufficient or transfers were stopped by orders from Mytilene due to the extremely difficult situation at the reception centers.
As a result, hundreds of migrant refugees stay for hours in the parking lot of the school around the bus stop, creating a bad image at the entrance of the village, as well as problems of circulation, cleanliness and hygiene.
Trying to find a solution immediately to stop this absurd misery of people and the unacceptable image of the entrance of the village and amidst strong reactions, we managed to agree to use the parking lot of the club OXY in order to create a temporary reception and transit camp.
At the same time, and in order to be able to manage the great responsibility of operating such a space, as well as the day-to-day financial obligations that have arisen, we decided to give formal and legal form to our voluntary venture and to create Asterias -Starfish on the 9th of October 2015.
The informal reception center at OXY operated thanks to the superhuman efforts of hundreds of volunteers from all over the world and, of course, the valuable cooperation of many large and small NGOs and groups active on the island. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Red Cross, Women and Health Alliance International (WAHA), the Samaritans Purse, the Euro Relief, the Movement on the Ground, Islamic Relief, etc.)
This continued self-organization and self-improvement was honored by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutierrez who visited OXY and gave his congratulations on its operation and infrastructure on 10/10/2015.
When the new transit camp ‘Apanemo” was prepared to open under the supervision of the IRC in the Eftalou area, Asterias -Starfish closed OXY at Christmas in 2015 and helped to restore the area. In the coming months, Asterias -Starfish offered services to "Apanemo", taking over exclusively the clothing sector which was run by its volunteers.
With the EU-Turkey agreement and the transformation of the reception center of Moria into a closed-door center, we were no longer able to offer our services there. Responding to the new needs, Asterias -Starfish it turned to actions that concerned children of migrant refugees and particularly unaccompanied children. So we supported with additional food aid the unaccompanied minors at the hospitality structures "Metadrasis" and "Doctors Without Borders» (MSF) in cooperation with PRAXIS and Save the Children, offering English lessons and creative activities. From August 2016 we supported the unaccompanied minors at RIC (Reception and Identification Centre) in Moria camp , by sending additional food aid and the organisation Lesvos Solidarity-PIKPA, which hosts vulnerable migrant-refugee groups, by sending three times a month a truckload of food supplies.
As the conditions changed and the needs in our region fell sharply, Asterias -Starfish decided to gradually release its volunteers, who had exceeded 1500 people throughout its activity.
We continue to provide assistance where needed, both to immigrant refugees and to local communities.
Together with local and foreign volunteers we welcomed and relieved, always within the bounds of human dignity, more than 200,000 people who arrived at our site, chasing for a better life.