Volunteering at the OASIS / All4Aid Community Centre, Larnaca, Cyprus
Male and female volunteers welcome
Flexible Dates
* Minimum 1 Week *
1. What to Expect
The OASIS / All4Aid Community Centre is located at the town centre in Larnaca, Cyprus – the country with the largest per capita population of asylum seekers in Europe. The local refugee camps operate mainly as registration hubs where refugees stay for a short and limited time as they arrive. Asylum seekers are then left to find housing and provide for their needs by themselves through a monthly stipend below the basic cost of living. This forces many individuals, families and children to live under challenging conditions.
The OASIS / All4Aid Community Centre was established in 2011 by members of local churches with the mission to restore hope, build community, and bring transformation through the provision of activities and services designed to help refugees survive and thrive in Cyprus. All4Aid assumed the management of the Centre in 2021.
At the OASIS / All4Aid Community Centre in Larnaca we currently provide the following services:
- A Shop (distribution area) where we provide free clothing and personal hygiene items both for men and women;
- A hospitality area where our guests are served tea and biscuits and enjoy fellowship awhile waiting for their appointments;
- Eventual activities and workshops (e.g.: arts and crafts, painting, manicures, hairstyling, etc.) according to the gifts and skills of volunteers;
- Mother & Babies Care Programme, which includes gifts as well as coaching and encouragement for mothers beginning their parenting journey in a new country;
- A FoodBank where our guests can freely select dry-food items according to their needs and preferences.
The model developed for our work at the centre is simple, but not necessarily easy. There are language barriers and cultural differences. The people we serve have been through all sorts of ordeals. They are still dealing with it all and they all process their trauma and experiences in different ways. As a consequence, some will respond to us and our support with love and gratitude. A few others may appear ungrateful or even rude. Our calling, however, remains the same, to show love to all and to serve them as best as we can.
2. What Will You Do
Male and Female volunteers would support the operations of the Centre in any necessary way, as requested and guided by the Head of Operations and Programme’s coordinator, performing tasks such as:
- Sorting through donations and help with displaying clothing and household items;
- Welcome refugee men, women and children, serve them tea, provide them with hospitality and engage in conversations;
- Provide child care for our younger guests while their parents go to their appointments to collect food and clothing;
- Assist in the operations of the FoodBank Programme, sorting out food items, replenishing the shelves, interacting with guests as they select items;
- Provide and support any special activities and workshops in accordance to your gifts, such as: craft sessions for women, beauty services (manicure/pedicure/hairstyling) music lessons, crochet, painting, dancing, yoga, self-defence, sewing workshops, etc.;
- Help with organising the storage area and any other odd jobs as needed.
As a short-term volunteer you will serve 5 days per week, 8 hours per day. You will work alongside a wonderful team of people who have the same heart to serve those in need. You will be able to meet and talk to refugees on a daily basis.
3. The Volunteers We Need
Volunteers must be:
- at least 18 years old (minor girls can also volunteer when accompanied by their mothers or an assigned responsible person / guardian);
- able to communicate in English and
- be financially independent (able to cover their own costs for travel, accommodation and meals).
Volunteers must also display the following characteristics:
- Team Player: working well with others and thinking more of the team’s good than of personal preference;
- Flexible: willing to make adjustments – and have adjustments made for them – joyfully;
- Teachable: open to learn and be taught new things with a positive and responsive attitude;
- Compassionate: caring deeply in a tangible way for the needs of those around them;
- Respectful: showing dignity to those whom they serve and those whom they serve with;
- Encouraging: intentionally uplifting and building up those around them with their words and actions.
4. Financial Contribution
150 EUR
Please note: All4Aid does not demand a payment from those volunteering with us. We simply request volunteers to make a donation to All4Aid, with such funds being utilised in our programme for the benefit of the refugees we serve and to cover some administrative costs related to the recruitment of short-term volunteers.
5. Your Flights
Volunteers should make their own arrangements of flights to the airport in Larnaca, Cyprus (IATA: LCA).
6. Accommodation
All4Aid has fully furnished apartments that we make available for volunteers on a first come first served basis. They are normally studio and one bedroom apartments with twin beds, private bathroom, A/C, kitchen and access to an outdoor pool (May-Oct only). For the stay, we request a contribution of 30 € per night (up to 30 nights), 25 € per night (31 to 60 nights) and 20 € per night (61 to 90 nights).
Volunteers coming as part of a large team should make their own arrangements for accommodation.
7. Local Transportation
Volunteers staying at the All4Aid accommodation in Larnaca don’t need transportation to work since our apartments are located within a 5 minutes walk to the OASIS / All4Aid Centre.
The use of public transport in Larnaca is reliable. Both taxis as well as the metro/bus system are widely used by all.
Volunteers who are not renting a car are expected to make their own arrangements and take a taxi to/from the airport on their arrival/departure dates.
Large volunteer teams, as well as individual volunteers who have a driver’s license and would like to be more independent and explore the island on evenings and weekends, are encouraged to rent their own car.
8. Meals
Volunteers are responsible to organise their own meals.
9. Application
Ready to apply? Click on the link below to fill out the application form.
Still have questions? Please, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@all4aid.org. We will be glad to answer your questions, as you consider this opportunity to serve as a volunteer in Larnaca.