InterVolve Information

InterVolve is an initiative by volunteers dedicated to humanitarian work; it is a flexible and dedicated team taking grassroots action to ensure that human rights are accessible for everyone. We work from a basic ethic of providing people with the support and resources they need to move on in their own lives with dignity. In 2015, as tens of thousands of people moved through Greece in search of safety and shelter, a small team of Greek and international volunteers came together to support these individuals. We worked day and night at the border village of Idomeni to try and provide humanitarian basics to as many people as possible. The team adopted the name InterVolve. In January 2016, as the political and humanitarian situation worsened, InterVolve registered as a Greek NGO, and began to establish roots and relationships to ensure we would be able to continue to flexibly respond, fill gaps, and support people, which also continued to be the case when people were evacuated from Idomeni to government-run camps in May 2016. One such camp was Softex, where, as the sole humanitarian actor for 1680 residents for some weeks, we made a commitment to stay. InterVolve believes no-one should live in a camp, but while people do, we continue to support residents as best we are able. Currently we mainly operate at the Koutsochero camp in Larissa (since January 2017), where we have a full time team, and Volos, where we are supporting with food supplements. In summer 2017 people started moving to the urban setting, and so we started turning to long-term development and integration. Following up with cases of former residents of the Softex camp and looking at the gaps with regards to the existing services provided to refugees and asylum seekers, we decided to open a women's centre in Thessaloniki. The Irida Women's Centre operates since January 2018, offering a safe space, activities and support to women of all backgrounds, helping them realise the power within them.