#ry2

We spent August in Belgrade, Serbia. More on my experiences in that city later. I want to touch on a particular part in this post.

There was an opportunity to volunteer at the the Refugee Aid Miksalište which "offer[s] a welcome point for refugees coming through Belgrade. In addition to providing food, hygienic and clothing aid, we also encourage them to join us for a tea or coffee, access WIFI and charge phones, as well as seek medical assistance or a child-friendly space. We also receive and manage donations at this location, which are either distributed directly or transported to the border points when needed.”

A few Battutas went to volunteer over the few weeks that we were in Belgrade. Most of us were set up in the clothing donation area where we handed out new and used donated clothing and shoes to refugees. 

Our job was to organize all donations that had come in and tidy up clothing that was already there. We organized by gender, size, age and season-appropriate. Supply was very limited. One day you would have an excess of smaller sized items (most of the men are pretty skinny) and the next day there would only be very large sizes.

It was an eye-opening experience to say the least. I haven’t had much contact with refugees since coming to Europe. When you see things on TV or read about Syrian and other refugees on social media I think there is still a detachment there. When you see the camps on the side of the road crossing into the Serbian border from Hungary or when you are trying to find the right size clothing for a toddler you become a little less detached and certain things come into perspective.

It was hard to turn people away when we ran out of mens underwear or size small unisex pants. The center relies heavily, if not completely, on donated shoes and clothes from individuals and businesses. There’s no knowing when the next donation will arrive and what it will be.

The Facebook link to Miksalište is above. I’ve also included their website here.