Our Mission:
Fill gaps in humanitarian protection for people seeking refuge.
ORIGIN STORY
Refugees have been crossing from Turkey to Greece’s Aegean islands under perilous conditions for decades. However, in 2015 the escalation of conflict in Syria and other disruptive occurrences displaced an unprecedented number of people worldwide, driving 1.3 million to seek asylum in Europe.
Almost half of them (500,018 according to UNHCR) arrived via the village of Skala Sikamineas on the north shore of Lesvos.
The fishing village’s 140 residents struggled to support so many people in urgent need of food, shelter, clothing and medical care.
“There are 100 people in this village. When the refugees were coming, there were 50-60 boats per day. We were all alone. ”
LIGHTHOUSE RELIEF IS FORMED
In September 2015, as the average number of daily arrivals neared its peak of 4,000, volunteers from Sweden, Norway, Syria, Spain, and the UK met in Skala Sykamineas and coordinated the first round-the-clock emergency response.
They kept a lookout for vessels stranded at sea and greeted people coming ashore with warm blankets. In a field across from the beach, they set up a camp offering treatment for hypothermia, a hot meal, dry clothes, and other respites. These volunteers become the founders of Lighthouse Relief.
Since then, the type of support we provide has evolved according to shifting needs and circumstances. However, our commitment to providing safe harbor per International refugee law and fundamental human decency never waivers.
The lighthouse at Korakas, on the north shore of Lesvos where we ran round-the-clock lookout for people stranded at sea. This is the lighthouse that inspired our name and logo.
— Aliya Abidi, describing the early days of Lighthouse Relief
