About us

Since 2015 Lesvos Island, Greece has been one of the central points of an unprecedented flow of population movement towards Europe. Especially after the EU-Turkey deal in March 2016, thousands of refugees and migrants were trapped on the island of Lesvos experiencing different forms of exclusion and inhumane living conditions.

The research for more and more substantial ways of supporting this population, together with the constant need to manage and exploit the massive amount of seemingly useless materials (life jackets, boats, plastic-glass bottles, etc.) piled on the coasts of the island, gave birth to the Lesvos Solidarity workshops: Safe Passage Bags and Humade Crafts both of them housed in Mosaik Support Center in Mytilini, Lesvos.

Safe Passage Bags Workshop

The Safe Passage Bags Workshop was created in the summer of 2015 in Lesvos, as one of the key integration and educational projects of Lesvos Solidarity. It is an upcycling project where bags are being created by refugees, together with locals living on the island. They are made with the lifejackets and dinghies left on the shorelines of Lesvos, used by refugees as they cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey, as well as other migration-related material such as tents and superfluous donated clothes. The bags are symbols of hope, despite the unsafe passage millions are forced to undertake as a result of inhumane European border policies.

The Safe Passage Bags workshop is therefore the legacy of the refugees to the society. Each bag carries with it the history of forced travel, and a reminder that: “No one puts their child on a boat, unless the sea is safer than the land” (Warsan Shire)

Humade Crafts Workshop

The Humade Crafts Workshop was established in June 2017, as an innovative idea that aims at education, vocational training, and social inclusion with a focus on re-use and recycling artistically. The project helps people develop their creativity and ingenuity, facilitating the reduction of waste volume, cultivation of environmental responsibility, strengthening of the economy, limitation of over-consumption, and is a venue for unique pieces of art.

The ultimate target of the projects is to continue to provide opportunities for people in need, so that they will be able to move forward in life. Both projects are housed in Mosaik Support Center in Mytilini, Lesvos

For more information you can contact us by email bags.safepassage@gmail.com

If you would like to know more about other projects of Lesvos Solidarity, you can take a look at our website : https://lesvossolidarity.org/en/