March 16, 2020: Due to multiple crises on the island and internationally (including COVID-19) – and to protect both volunteers and residents – CESRT / Offene Arme e.V. has decided not to accept any new volunteer applications at this time. We really hope you understand and will let you know when we are ready to start taking volunteers again.  

Pre-volunteering information

The Chios Eastern Shore Response Team is a nonprofit organization that is run by volunteers only. All our projects are sustained by people from all over the world who are willing to put in their heart, time and power to address the situation of those seeking refuge on Chios. The open structures of CESRT enable everyone to take the initiative to unfold her/his ideas and creativity in terms of our projects. But don’t forget: We are an emergency response team that deals with people in sensitive and vulnerable situations. So, for volunteering with CESRT it is important to understand how severe the circumstances of the people are. Moreover, it is necessary to reflect about your own position and privileges in contrast to the perspectives of the people arriving on the island. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. You are only 6 steps away from becoming a volunteer with the Chios Eastern Shore Response Team and Offene Arme e.V.  

How to become a volunteer?

1. Write an enquiry for volunteering to chiosesrt@gmail.com. Please note that we require a minimum of two weeks for volunteering with us. 2. We will ask you to fill in our application letter and to sign the code of conduct. Moreover, we will need a police check that enables you to work with children. 3. We will check your documents and hopefully send you our approval. 4. At last we will need your travel details: Date of arrival and departure; accommodation, care hire etc. 5. In the meantime, you can check out the information for new arrivals in our FAQ. 6. Next thing you know, you will be part of an amazing team of volunteers.  
“I felt like I had experience that could be of help in this enviroment, so decided to volunteer with CESRT. I enjoy being part of an organisation that helps to show that humanity still exists. I like that CESRT has achievable goals that we meet and build upon.”
– Emily, 29 years old from the UK, volunteering for at least 2 months  
“You can see this refugee crisis in the media but you can only know and understand this reality when you are on the ground and it is important to know more. Working with CESRT team you meet so many inspiring people of all ages and nationalities with many different backgrounds. Do not forget, we are not working with numbers or statistics, we are working with humans. If we can just give them a bit of hope, positivity and real smiles, to show them that people do care. Even the small actions count.”
– Camille, Laura and Cindy from Switzerland